EasyJet has come under fire after a passenger was threatened with having his boarding pass "terminated" if he didn't pay an excess luggage fee, despite his bag appearing to fit within the airline's size restrictions.
Jake Hughes, who was attempting to board a flight at Manchester Airport, filmed the incident and shared it on TikTok, where it has since garnered over 33,000 views.
The footage shows Hughes' bag fitting into the airline's sizing frame, yet he was still asked to pay a £48 charge.
Hughes claims he was forced to pay the fee and delete his footage before being allowed to board the plane.
Hughes shared the footage on TikTok
TIkTok/PA
The incident unfolded as Hughes attempted to demonstrate that his bag fit within the sizing frame. A ground handling provider at Manchester Airport asked him to remove it, but Hughes insisted on speaking to a manager.
"Na, I'm gunna leave it in there actually I need a manager to see this", Hughes said in the video.
The staff member claimed to be the manager, leading to further disagreement. Hughes explained, "Come on man I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just saying that £48 for that is ridiculous. I brought that bag especially because it's an easyJet bag."
Despite the bag appearing to fit, the staff member denied this and proceeded to charge Hughes.
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An easyJet spokeswoman confirmed they are investigating
PAFollowing the incident, Hughes claimed on TikTok that easyJet staff "began terminating my boarding pass so I had no choice but to pay". He further alleged that he "wasn't allowed to board until I deleted all of my footage from my camera roll".
EasyJet has since responded to the controversy. A spokesperson told Express.co.uk: "We are investigating with our ground handling provider at Manchester airport to understand why Mr Hughes was charged for his bag which appears to be in line with his allowance, and we have been in touch with him to refund the charge."
The airline confirmed that Hughes is eligible for a refund and that they are looking into the actions of their ground handling provider.
The incident has sparked outrage among other passengers who shared similar experiences. One TikTok user claimed: "As someone who worked at an airport I can tell you that each employee has a number of bags they have to charge per month to reach the target."
Another passenger commented: "We had this same problem last week, they charged us £48 going out of the country and I think it was £42 on the way back, it's disgraceful."
The controversy has reignited debates about budget airlines' luggage policies and fees.
Many social media users expressed frustration with easyJet and other low-cost carriers, with one stating: "I refuse to fly easyJet or any of those other 'low cost' airlines. I've got enough headache[s] in my life to be dealing with their nonsense."
