With Ryanair, it’s almost as if they go to work each day wondering how to inflict more distress on their passengers.
This just in from the violinist Esther Abrami:
Today I was refused boarding on a Ryanair flight with my 200 years old violin today. On my way to Berlin, departing from Marseille to record my third album with @sonyclassical, this is the first time I have experienced such rudeness and public humiliation.
Just before boarding the flight I was stopped and told I could not board on with my violin. I offered to pay whatever it would cost to take it with me, they refused. I offered to buy an extra seat, they said the flight was closed already and I could not buy an extra seat anymore (despite the flight not being full).
They said the only option was to check it in with the LUGGAGES or just leave at the airport (!!).
I explained the price and the fragility of the violin.
I begged them, explaining I was recording this very same day for my album, telling that I had flown an incredible number of times with this company and never experienced this.
It came to the point where I even offered to take my violin out of the case, keeping its fabric protection and just carry it by hand and keeping it on me during the whole flight whilst they put the case in the cargo.
They made me open my case on the floor, put the violin in the place to measure suitcases. The requirements for the cabin luggage -which I had paid for already- is a length of 55cm. My violin measures 56cm, it fitted diagonally, and otherwise was 1cm over. Even this was refused.
And yet, I still feel incredibly fortunate that I could book a last minute ticket on an other flight, with an other company, on the same day. Not every musician can have this opportunity.
Missing a flight often means losing a vital work opportunity, whether it’s a gig, a recording session, or an important meeting.
In an industry where every opportunity counts, such an incident can have a ripple effect, impacting reputation and future prospects. This is simply inacceptable.
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