'Ryanair charged us £60 because they said this bag was too big... the fine cost more than the return flight to Milan'

A family were slapped with a £60 fine for breaking Ryanair luggage rules - despite insisting the holdall did fit in the 'bag sizer'.

Kirsty and Marc McVeigh, both 38, are appealing against the 'ridiculous' charge, which cost more than the £47 price of their return flight from Manchester to Milan. And they say pictures taken at the airport show the blue Nike gym bag wasn't too big.

Ryanair dispute this claim, saying the picture shows the bag is too big.

The couple, from Platt Bridge, Wigan, and their three kids flew to Milan for a long weekend on Friday, October 4. Kirsty said she and Marc had flown with the bag numerous times before without ever having a problem - and Ryanair crew allowed them to bring it on the return flight from Milan without charge.

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Kirsty said: "I'm fuming, honestly. Marc has had the bag for 10-11 years and he has taken it on every trip, no issues, no problems, with any airline.

"He's used it on Ryanair before without a problem. Me and the kids were already on the plane and I think Marc was the last to board.

"They asked him to test it and he put it in the sizer. It fit in but they said they don't accept that 'style' of bag any more.

"It's complete madness. The signs say if it fits you can bring it on board.

"It's just ridiculous that it cost more than the return flight. I don't know how they can justify it."

A Ryanair spokesperson said: "This passenger booked a basic fare for this flight from Manchester to Milan, which allowed him to carry one small personal bag onboard. As this passenger's bag exceeded the permitted size of a small personal bag (as clearly shown in the photos you've provided), he was correctly required to pay a standard gate baggage fee of £60 by the gate agent at Manchester Airport to carry his cabin bag onboard the aircraft."