He did not agree with this sky-high fee.
Jake Hughes was wrongfully charged by EasyJet staffers for his carry-on bag, which was allegedly not meeting the luggage size requirement.
“I couldn’t believe they were trying to charge me for something that clearly fit inside the compartment,” Hughes, a Worcestershire, England, resident declared to Kennedy News and Media.
An EasyJet employee advised Hughes to repack his bag so the carry-on could “freefall” inside the size bin.
However, even when he did so by rearranging items and layering up with jeans and jumpers, apparently it still wasn’t enough for the “smug” staffer.
“He said he could see that I’ve put my clothes on and that I’m supposed to rearrange my bag, not empty it. It was crazy,” the English man added.
In a rush to board his flight from Manchester Airport to Lisbon, Portugal, on Oct. 17, Hughes paid the “ridiculous” $62 to bypass the unjustifiable airline employee.
To refute their claims, Hughes, 27, captured a clip proving his suitcase fit “perfectly” inside the baggage-size frame. However, EasyJet demanded he delete the footage in exchange for a refund for the carry-on bag.
“When I went to board the flight, he said he will terminate my boarding pass if I didn’t delete the footage,” Hughes revealed. “I was in shock. I just stood there, wearing two pairs of jeans and two jumpers. It was just an absolute nightmare.”
Hughes obeyed the staffer’s command and boarded the flight, fuming over the disgruntled interaction.
However, luckily for him, he didn’t delete all the footage of his luggage fitting in the compartment “like a dream” and was able to upload clips to TikTok as soon as he landed.
The video accumulated more than 5 million views online, with people sharing their frustrations over the scenario.
EasyJet quickly contacted Hughes, apologizing for the mishap and offering to refund his fine, which he hasn’t accepted.
“I’m not sure I would have been offered a refund if it hadn’t gone as viral as it did,” Hughes admitted. “Why should I get a refund and not everyone else who got unfairly charged just because I happened to film it?”
EasyJet released a statement regarding the situation: “We are investigating with our ground handling provider at Manchester Airport to understand why Mr. Hughes was charged for his bag, which appears to be in line with his allowance.”
However, TikTokers shared their frustrations on the money-hungry employee’s pushback.
“What on Earth? I have never seen a bag fit more perfectly! I hope you get your money back,” demanded one person.
Hughes noted that his girlfriend specifically purchased his carry-on bag for EasyJet flights and has never had an issue with it prior to his Portugal flight.
“Yeah, I think we need to travel with another airline. They want the footage deleted because they know you and other passengers are right,” added another.
“I’m raging just watching this,” commented a watcher. “This happened to me and I stupidly paid because I was so embarrassed.”
