Ryanair passenger water bottle charge: "Flustered" flyer slapped with £50 fee on Dublin to London Stanstead flight

A bottle of water doubled the cost of a passenger's flight from Dublin to London - as it counted as a 'second bag'. Ruby Flanagan was travelling from the Irish capital to London Stansted having purchased a return ticket for £35.86.

However, as she tired to board the return Ryanair flight, she was told she was not allowed to carry on her 750ml metal water bottle as well as her hand luggage - unless she paid a €60 (around £50) charge. She said she brought a bag that she had used without a hitch on previous trips, and said the rucksack had always met the airline’s specific dimensions - but not with the bottle inside, she found.

According to The Mirror, on her outbound flight from London to the Irish capital on February 1, Ruby was allowed on with no issue, taking both her bag and water bottle with her. However, while waiting in Dublin three days later for her return flight, she was told she needed to put her bag in the airline’s dimension box. It fitted with a little push, she said, but was promptly told to place her water bottle inside the bag.

"In a raspy voice, I queried if such a step was really necessary, given that it hadn't been required on my incoming flight," she said. "The crew member explained firmly that all extras must be stashed inside my bag when boarding the flight and directed me back to the departure area.

"Feeling increasingly flustered, I clumsily tried to cram the 750ml metal water bottle into my already bulging luggage. I was but one among several passengers stopped by the Ryanair staff, all of us scrambling to reorganise our belongings."

With the bottle inside, the zip struggled to stay secure, and she was told that her luggage was now too big and she would have to pay €60. After querying the decision - when it was not a problem on her outbound flight - Ruby said she “received a lecture” on how the bottle had to fit inside the bag or it counted as a “second bag”.

She reluctantly paid the charge and was allowed on her way, realising as she flew it would have been cheaper to chuck her bottle away and buy a new one. She complained to Ryanair and was told she was “disputing a baggage fee charged for carrying a water bottle separate from your carry-on bag” and it was rejected.

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "This passenger booked a Basic Fare ticket for this flight from Dublin to Stansted (February 4), which allowed them to carry a small personal bag onboard.

“This passenger attempted to board with an additional carry-on, and as it would not fit within their permitted bag, she was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee (€60). Once payment was made, this passenger travelled on this flight from Dublin to Stansted (February 4).”