EasyJet Fined Passengers After Faulty Luggage Sizer

Two passengers were incorrectly charged nearly £100 by easyJet for baggage that fit within the airline's official requirements after a faulty luggage sizer at London Gatwick airport provided inaccurate measurements.

Adalsteinn Svan Hjelm was traveling from Iceland to Greece with his daughter in April when their bags were flagged as oversized at the British hub. They were each charged a £48 fee. Hjelm suspected the sizing cage was altered, noting that the internal side bulkheads appeared to be positioned incorrectly, reducing the usable width. Despite his protests and arguments at the airport, the fees were collected.

His attempts to resolve the issue through easyJet's customer service and an independent adjudicator, AviationADR, were unsuccessful. Hjelm stated that neither easyJet nor AviationADR independently inspected the sizer, relying solely on the airline's assurance that the equipment was correctly configured. He contacted Samsonite, the manufacturer of his luggage, who confirmed the bags were designed to fit easyJet's dimensions.

Ultimately, Hjelm emailed easyJet's senior leadership team with photographic evidence of the faulty sizer. This prompted an investigation, which confirmed the metal bars were misplaced, preventing compliant bags from fitting. Hjelm received a full refund, and easyJet stated the sizer would be repaired or replaced. Consumer champion Which? noted that thousands of passengers may have been wrongly fined due to the faulty equipment.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, commented that this was the second time easyJet had been found to be wrongfully fining travelers. He expressed concern that the airline had not committed to a wider review of its bag-checking procedures, especially as it was revealed last year that easyJet staff could receive bonuses for identifying oversized bags.

A spokesperson for easyJet said the airline aims to apply cabin bag rules fairly and that bag sizers are checked weekly and maintained. "If an issue with a bag sizer is identified, it is reported by our ground crew and removed and fixed," the spokesperson stated. The airline added that despite the independent ruling in their favor, Hjelm was provided a refund as a gesture of goodwill.

This is not the first instance of easyJet facing issues with its baggage sizers. Louise Machin was fined €58 at Chania Airport in Crete for a bag that had previously fit in a sizer at London Gatwick and passed easyJet's digital sizing tool. She suspected the sizer was smaller than required, but staff were dismissive. After contacting the bag manufacturer, who confirmed the luggage met dimensions, she pursued the matter with easyJet and received a refund. EasyJet stated that staff at Chania Airport confirmed no sizers were damaged and that their sizers are standardized. The airline reiterated that they review customer feedback on a case-by-case basis and apologized for Ms. Machin's experience.