From Georgina McGrath:
I’m very sorry to share that I had a horrible experience with Ryanair today. I feel I need to share this in order to try to stop this happening to other musicians.
I was finishing a week of touring, and was travelling with a small, narrow bow case. This case easily fits on top of other luggage stowed in the overhead lockers, and does not take up any additional space. As such, double bassists are never required to either book an extra seat or pay extra to take these small cases into the cabin.
I have worked professionally for over 14 years and never encountered an issue travelling with this item. This week alone I took the same bow case on 3 other flights with no issue – one of these flights was also with Ryanair.
Today the staff refused to allow me to board with this item. They told me my options were to not take the flight, pay £60 for an additional bag charge, or they would call the police to remove my bowcase.
They were extremely aggressive, rude and confrontational. They would not allow me to finish a sentence, and were talking over me, shouting and laughing at me. They left me shaking and in tears, as can be attested by the staff who greeted me on the flight, who were horrified to hear how the gate staff had behaved. The staff onboard were the complete opposite – they took extra care to check I was ok during the flight, and the supervisor came to see the bowcase in question and confirmed there was no reason for the treatment I received from the gate staff.
There was no reason for the denial of taking this small item on board, and there was absolutely no reason for the nasty and aggressive behaviour of the staff, which included an older female employee literally laughing in my face. The gate staff refused to give me any details such as their staff numbers to add to this complaint.
They were highly unprofessional and the behaviour they exhibited amounted to nothing less than bullying. They took obvious pleasure in my distress and were vicious. Several other people boarded this flight with garment bags, which they were not charged for.
I doubt Ryanair will even acknowledge this or my formal complaint, so I fully expect I’ll need to take this to their regulators.
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