Ryanair flight ​thrown into chaos after passenger was 'begging on her knees' over £40 luggage fee​

In desperate attempts to get home for work commitments, the traveller looked to meet the airline's luggage requirements by removing clothes from her bag and putting them on.

The incident occurred on Monday when the passenger was informed her bag exceeded the permitted size for the flight.

Unable to resolve the situation with airline staff, the distressed traveller ultimately abandoned her Ryanair booking and arranged travel with an alternative carrier.

A Ryanair spokesman defended the airline's actions, stating the passenger had booked a non-priority rate and was "correctly required to pay a standard fee" of £41.81 for luggage at the boarding gate.

The passenger refused to pay the additional charge, according to the airline representative.

"The passenger subsequently irritated staff at the boarding gate, so the gate agent denied her boarding," the spokesman added.

The dispute appears to have stemmed from a misunderstanding over size versus weight requirements for carry-on luggage.

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This is not the first time Ryanair has faced criticism over its hand luggage policies.

Last year, the airline was forced to address claims on social media that it had secretly reduced permitted hand luggage allowances.

The company's marketing chief, Jade Kirwan, firmly rejected these allegations, telling Cork Beo: "The rules have not changed in 10 years."

She suggested that passengers who had previously avoided thorough checks were simply experiencing proper enforcement of existing rules.

"What may be happening is that people [who] have gotten through a few times before because they were not closely checked have finally gotten that check," Kirwan explained.

Ryanair is currently locked in a legal battle with Spanish authorities over baggage charges, alongside several other budget airlines.

The Spanish Government has imposed fines totalling £149.8million on Ryanair, EasyJet, Vueling, Norwegian and Volotea for what it terms "abusive practices" including hand luggage charges.

Spain's Social Rights Minister Pablo Bustinduy told el Dailo newspaper that extra charges were causing low-cost airline ticket prices to "not stop rising".

"My duty is to defend consumer rights in this country above the interests of any multinational or any millionaire magnate, however powerful," Bustinduy stated.

However, Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary responded by reportedly labelling Bustinduy a "crazy communist" who "believes passengers can carry all the luggage they want".

The budget airlines are reportedly challenging these fines.