A couple flying Ryanair were reportedly charged almost $100 for trying to take two pastries on board their flight home, after the airline claimed the treats exceeded their cabin baggage limit.
The two passengers at Palma de Mallorca airport in Spain each tried to carry an ensaïmada, a traditional sweet Mallorcan pastry, along with their hand baggage. The budget airline carrier reportedly demanded an additional €45 ($48) from each passenger, according to The Guardian, which prompted the couple to abandon the snacks rather than cough up nearly $100.
The airline’s decision to charge the passengers an additional fee for the pastries sparked outrage amongst Spanish officials, per reports. Iago Negueruela, the tourism minister of the Balearic Islands, called an “urgent meeting” with Ryanair and the local pastry-makers’ association to discuss the incident.
Negueruela said the meeting was called “in order to defend local produce and avoid any kind of discrimination” and hoped the issue would soon be resolved, he told The Guardian.
Pep Magraner, the president of the Balearic Islands pastry-makers association, also claimed that “all the other airlines allow passengers to take two ensaïmadas on board” except for Ryanair.
Meanwhile, local Mallorcan politician Jaume Alzamora told The Mirror that Mallorcan products bought outside the airport should be carried “without restrictions or extra costs for tourists, because the aim is to defend Mallorcan products made in Mallorcan bakeries and pastry shops.”
Ryanair, an ultra low-cost airline carrier based in Ireland, permits only priority passengers to bring a small bag and larger cabin bags on board. Non-priority passengers are allowed to bring only one small item. If they wish to bring a second small bag onboard, they must be prepared to pay an additional fee upwards of £46 ($57).
On 30 May, police escorted a Ryanair passenger off a plane after he was caught smoking in the toilet. The plane had returned to the UK from Palma in Mallorca when the man was greeted by officers at Manchester Airport. The passenger, who was seen wearing a grey T-shirt and shorts, disembarked first, before flight staff informed other passengers that they were free to leave the aircraft.
A father on board Ryanair flight told the Manchester Evening News that the smoking incident occurred “about 20 minutes after take-off” and the man was “named and shamed” in front of the whole flight.
The Independent has contacted Ryanair for comment.
