AS THE boarding gate official called me forward and I placed my cabin bag in the measuring rack, I felt confident this check was merely a formality.
I was flying from Leeds Bradford Airport to Limoges in France with Ryanair for a three-night break and had bought a new carry-on case for the occasion.
But my holiday mood vanished when the uniformed man informed me it was too big at the front – and I had to pay £70 to proceed.
This was nearly two-thirds of the cost of my £111.11 return ticket, which included paying extra priority boarding with two pieces of luggage – one small under seat bag and one 10kg cabin bag.
My crime? My new IT Luggage case, bought in Tesco for £37, was 55cm x 36cm x 21.5cm.
It would pass the test with competitors easyJet and Wizz Air, who allow 56cm x 45cm x 25cm and 55cm x 40cm x 23cm for overhead bags.
But not with Ryanair, the most stringent airline at 55cm x 40cm x 20cm, meaning mine was just 1.5cm too deep to comply.
Budget airlines Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling and Volotea were fined £128m by Spanish authorities last month for charging for carry-on bags, with the country’s Consumer Rights Ministry branding the policy "abusive".
But passengers bagging a bargain flight this summer may not realise there’s an additional costly penalty if this luggage does not conform to the strict dimensions that airlines demand.
For Ryanair passengers, the penalty is £70, while easyJet make you fork out their standard airport bag fee of £48 and WizzAir also has an oversized bag fee - although an amount is not specified on their website.
Even when I moved the contents of the soft zipped pocket at the front of my case into my other permitted bag – a small rucksack – to slim it down, airport staff stood firm.
With the flight boarding, and tears flowing, I handed over my credit card.
My bag was tagged and I was told it would have to be checked into the hold when I reached the plane – but no crew took it at the door and I carried it on as planned.
It fitted in the overhead locker fine.
Other passengers – some who clearly had bags as big as mine - were as incredulous as I was and staff were unwilling to explain why the charge was so astronomical.
While the penalty charges for checked bags with excess weight are easy to find on the airline’s website, this sneaky "fine" is not listed on the fees page, nor does the bag policy section link to the price.
I eventually located it hidden among the terms and conditions after several emails with Ryanair customer services.
The price is higher than the most expensive charge for checking in a 20kg hold bag at the airport, which is £59.99.
As this was a 10kg bag, I could have checked it in at the airport desk for £35.99 at most.
On my return from France, I risked it and sailed through the gate without a problem, even when a fellow flyer remembered me and told her friend: “This is the lady who got fined £70 at Leeds.”
A spokesperson from Ryanair told Sun Online Travel: "This passenger booked a priority fare for this flight from Leeds to Limoges (13 June), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag and a 10kg cabin bag onboard.
"As their cabin bag exceeded the permitted size, they were correctly charged a standard gate baggage fee (£70) by the gate agent at Leeds Bradford Airport."
We've rounded up how much hand luggage you can take on UK airlines when booking their most basic fare.
Ryanair
One personal bag measuring no more than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
EasyJet
One personal bag measuring no larger than 45cm x 36cm x 20cm
Jet2
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm weighing up to 10kg
TUI
One personal item that its underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 55cm x 40cm x 20cm weighing up to 10kg
British Airways
One personal bag no larger than 40cm x 30cm x 15cm and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 45cm 25cm weighing up to 23kg
Virgin Atlantic
One personal item that fits underneath the seat in front and one cabin bag no larger than 56cm x 36cm x 23cm weighing up to 10kg
Sun Online Travel's Sophie recently reviewed the business class on the best airline in the world.
Meanwhile, Deputy Travel Editor, Kara Godfrey recently tried the world’s best plane food that was even better than some meals on the ground.
