"Refusing to Pay 100,000 Won... Man Removes All Wheels from Carrier and Boards"

European Ultra-Low-Cost Airline Ryanair Booking
"Baggage Fees More Expensive Than Plane Tickets" Criticized

A traveler tore off the wheels of his carry-on luggage to avoid paying extra baggage fees charged by a low-cost airline.

According to a report by Yonhap News on the 25th (local time), citing the French daily Le Figaro, Daniel Galvares visited Mallorca Airport on the 19th of this month to return to Malaga after vacationing in the Balearic Islands, Spain.

Spanish traveler dismantling a suitcase wheel.
[Photo by X Capture]

Galvares booked the cheapest ticket on Ryanair, an Irish ultra-low-cost airline, and headed to the boarding gate carrying only one carry-on suitcase.

Ryanair allows passengers who purchase basic fare tickets to bring only a small bag (40×20×25 cm) that fits under the seat. Passengers carrying personal items exceeding this allowance are charged extra fees, and additional baggage fees are applied for larger bags.

However, airline staff at the boarding gate told Galvares that his suitcase exceeded the size limit and asked him to pay 70 euros (about 100,000 KRW) to check the suitcase into the cargo hold.

In response, Galvares stepped on the suitcase and forcefully tore off all four wheels with both hands. Airline staff watching this laughed in disbelief, while other passengers applauded him in support. Galvares ultimately boarded the plane carrying the suitcase without wheels instead of paying the extra fee.

The video capturing this scene has garnered high views on social networks.

Galvares told local media, "I have tried wearing multiple layers of clothes to avoid paying extra baggage fees before, but this is the first time I have used this method," and pointed out, "It costs more to check the suitcase as baggage than the price of the plane ticket."

Meanwhile, a court in Madrid, Spain, ruled in the past that Ryanair's imposition of a 20-euro extra fee for carry-on baggage on a passenger traveling from Madrid to Brussels was unfair.

The judge mentioned that baggage can be easily carried onboard according to size and weight, and referred to the legal rights of consumers under Spanish law to carry onboard baggage without additional costs, ordering Ryanair to remove the extra baggage fee clause from its terms and conditions.

However, Ryanair stated in a press release, "Since this is an isolated case where our cabin baggage size was wrongly determined due to a misjudgment of commercial freedom, as in the past, this ruling will not affect our policy going forward."