Although it looks as if this situation probably wasn’t handled very well, I can’t say that I have much sympathy for the passenger in this quarrel.
A Cheshire music student was ordered to buy an extra seat for her violin after an airline refused to let her take the instrument as hand luggage.
My first reaction was why wasn’t it booked in with hold luggage? Apparently, according to the girl’s father:
He said the air pressure and low temperature in the hold would have ruined the instrument, which belongs to the Manchester music school Chetham’s, where Francesca is a pupil.
Okay, fair enough. I don’t know any different, so will have to take his word for that. Assuming that is the case, though, Francesca was allowed though check-in without any quibble. The problem with this story seems to have been that Ryanair didn’t make it clear when the tickets were purchased that the violin would incur an extra charge – and that being so, there is a reasonable complaint. It looks to me as if whoever took the booking (or their mediocre website) didn’t pick up that it was a violin and that it would be bigger than normal hand luggage.
When we checked in, Francesca was carrying the violin on her back so they must have noticed it but they let us through.
But when we got to the gates they refused to let us go.
They said we could pay extra to put the violin in the hold, but because of the temperature and air pressure difference, the wood can crack and completely ruin a violin. The insurance also becomes void.
This was an absolute disgrace. Their policy appears to discriminate against violinists, the vast majority of whom simply can’t afford to purchase an additional seat.
Well, I would hardly say that they were discriminating. Incompetent, maybe. Ryanair are pretty clear about hand luggage requirements. They tell you how big it can be and how much it may weigh. If you have a musical instrument that just cannot go in the hold, you have to think again, but consider this; other people will also have hand luggage that does comply. They will want to be able to take their seats and put their bags in the overhead lockers. If you have an item that takes up extra room, why shouldn’t you pay extra?
The Ryanair website says small musical instruments can be taken on board their flights but customers have to purchase an extra seat if they are larger than standard baggage.
Given the amount of extra room that may be needed, this seems perfectly reasonable. A violin may not be very big, but in a case, it is bulky in the confines of an aircraft cabin, will take up significant space in an overhead locker, won’t fit under a seat, so may need to be placed on a seat instead.
David Abrahams, head of legal services at the ISM, said: “The idea that musicians should be forced to purchase an additional seat on board an aircraft because they are carrying an instrument that can be stored safely in the overhead lockers is unfair, discriminatory and irrational.”
“These airlines are punishing musicians for being musicians.”
Don’t be silly, of course they aren’t. If it goes in the overhead locker, other luggage can’t and has to go somewhere. If the instrument doesn’t go in the overhead locker, it has to go somewhere. If it goes on a seat, then the airline cannot sell that seat to a passenger.
I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s something that people just don’t seem to get. Ryanair is a cheap airline. You get a seat at a low price. That’s it. Anything else comes at a premium. Caveat emptor and all that.
As it turned out EasyJet were happy to take it as hand luggage, so it worked out okay. But, then, in my experience EasyJet are generally more expensive than Ryanair. You get what you pay for in this world.
Have to say I sympathise with Francesca, having flown with Ryanair a few times and having found that their extra charges means that it is cheaper to fly with other low cost airlines, coupled with the appalling rudeness and lack of proffesionalism of some of their staff, I now fly anyone but Ryan air, they really are not what I would call value for money in any sense of the words.
I use them as Beziers and Bristol are both convenient. My sympathy is limited by such silliness as cries of “discrimination” when the reality is it is incompetence and indifference. And, of course, my point about the space taken up by the instrument.
But, then, I travel without luggage and use a prepaid mastercard, so I do get a cheap fare.
The bastards wouldn’t let me take on my drum set as hand luggage.
Where is my compo?
Mr Rab is correct. Thats discrimination against drummers. And what about the piano players.
I can understand, to a point, someone complaining about a shoddy service but when they start throwing in the cries of discrimination, thats when they loose credibility and I stop listening.
Shoddy service, yes and there does seem to be some of that going on at face value. Like you as soon as someone says “discrimination” my shutters go down.
Long story but once took my golf clubs as hand baggage with no extra charge.
I have no sympathy. Ryanair make no secret of the fact that they are a bucket airline who will charge for absolutely anything – have they started to charge to use the bog yet?
What is it with these people? They think that they fly round the world for free and still have Rolls Royce service?
The father is telling the truth about the damage that being in the hold would cause. After 11 Sept and all the security and zero hand luggage, entire orchestras had their instruments destroyed by their being condemned to the hold, including some very rare 18th century string instruments.
That said, it isn’t like Ryanair’s policies are exactly secret, is it? 1p for a flight and then they’ll screw every penny they can out of you, unless you travel like a sensible person, with a clean pair of socks, a book and some aspirin.
Ouch!
Which is what I do. I even got myself a prepaid mastercard specifically to avoid their credit card charge. If they can play that game, so can I.