I regularly fly from Southampton to Dublin on Aer Lingus regional flights to visit my mum. I pay between £160 and £200.
In September I was asked to measure my carry-on bag when I boarded Southampton and was told it was too big and would have to be charged £35.
But I’ve flown that route nine times in the last nine months with the same bank, and every time it’s been good. On all three occasions, I measured in the amount of luggage that I was told was within the limits.
On the way back, I asked an Aer Lingus employee if I wanted to check the bag in and was told no. It was accepted on the plane without any problems. Is this correct? AR, Hampshire
On Aer: Aer Lingus told this reader that he had too much baggage, although he had used it several times on the same route without any problems.
Helen Crane of This is Money replies: Worrying about the size of your bag is a part of airline travel, especially as the limits continue to decrease.
Prepaid is an economical feature that some carriers offer to carry no more than a small bag onto the plane without paying an additional fee.
I understand your frustration, as a ticket is accepted on the same flight no less than nine times – three of which were considered to be included in the ticket amount by the staff – it’s safe to say that it’s a good size.
After paying the £35 fee, you contacted Emerald Airlines, which operates local Aer Lingus flights to complain about the lack of conformity.
A reply was received saying that the flight staff would make the decision.
But as good as it used to be, you’d think the staff member was wrong at the time. You also mentioned that other passengers on the same flight were asked to pay for bags they didn’t need in the first place.
You called me to ask if I could force Aer Lingus to see the procedure.
But unfortunately, it didn’t work. An Emerald Airlines spokesperson added that the decision was made by the staff at the airport.
He said: ‘Aer Lingus Regional flights, operated by Emerald Airlines, have a 7kg baggage limit per passenger. The maximum dimensions for carry-on luggage on these flights are 48x33x20cm.
‘Due to the limited space available on our aircraft, gate staff at all airports must be instructed to enforce this limit.’
Unsurprisingly, you replied: ‘This is not a budget airline – it’s a budget airline. Paying someone who has taken nine flights in the last nine months with the same package makes no sense.’
The rules are legal, but as the price of airline tickets continues to rise, consumers are increasingly being squeezed with extra fees for things like baggage. Airlines need to rethink their policies if they want to keep them.
