from what i recall, certain airports have the cages where your case would be put in standing up, like gatwick and gerona, but others would have cages where you put your case in sideways -i think stanstead or luton have this.
my hand baggage is 2 cm too tall (an argos one that i bought thinking it was the correct size), but will "fit" in the cages that are standing, but the wheels stop it fitting if the cage is sideways.
i have never had a problem getting on the plane, but am concious that my bag is slightly too big and so try to avoid airports where i know they use a sideways cage.

There is no upright or standing rule.

It would be just as valid a check to turn the frame over and leave the bag the way it was designed to be dragged. The bag has to fit in the frame outline in all directions whichever way you hold either of them, although normally it is physically easier to turn the bag and you'll get less funny looks. It doesn't matter which way you think a bag ought to be designed or how big a shop told you it or the airline allowances are.

You have to check what each airline sets as a limit. If a shop uses the phrase "meets airline standards" ignore them, since there is no common size standard that can't be true and they are clearly trying to fob you off. At checkin you're the one that has to deal with it not the shop managers.

Having checked what the current rule is for your airline then check your bag yourself after you have filled it. At this point we have the problem of inaccurate tape measures, you'll need to be careful there. If it's very close to the limit it might be an idea to rearrange it, if it's just over the limit don't rely on optimism and a smile.

There is one issue that has never been suggested here but is potentially possible. What if the frame at checkin isn't as big as the size shown in the airline conditions? We've had plenty of complaints about scales being wrong but no-one has ever measured a frame. You would need a reliable measure, and probably more than one, but that would be an easy argument to prove. You'd probably miss the flight doing it though. If this occured at a UK airport it would be covered by the old fashioned weights and measures rules and the local Trading Standards could take action. This would be easier for them to follow up than the scales because scales can be adjusted between complaint and visit but the frames can't. You can also photograph a ruler and frame.

But the argument that they've never enforced their own rules for the last 5 years so it's unfair to do it now will never hold water!

I was convinced last year coming home from Tenerife that the measuring cage was much smaller than the one at Stansted. When case labels give the dimensions they don't normally include the wheels and this is where we have been caught out.

When case labels give the dimensions they don't normally include the wheels

This is why it's absolutely essential when going shopping for a case to take an accurate tape measure with you and measure that absolute dimensions and not just the case itself. Dressmakers tapes can stretch over time so I take a DIY metal retractable one with me. Some shops will tell you anything to make sale and when I was going shopping for a framed daysack that I could also use as carry one baggage, I was amazed at what rubbish I was told by some assistants! In the end I bought the one I did as much for the honesty of the assistant as anything else because she told me 'This one will comply with most airlines rules as long as you don't fill it to its full capacity so that it sticks out too much but the frame is 2cms too long for Ryanair'. My rule and my note of the sizes for the airlines I regularly use confirmed that she was spot on. The moment that they see the rigid frame, most check-in clerks insist that I prove that it fits in their cage - and it always has, especially if I slide it in from the end rather than dropping it in from the top

SM

Looks as if as per usual Ryanair will be dropping many routes over the winter period. Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow (Prestwick) are bracing for significant reductions over the winter months....

Nivsy

steve8482
what i, and i think others, was getting at is that if a suitcase measures 57x40x20 and the cage that is in use is 55x40x20 then the case will "fit" because you will be putting it into the cage by using the handle at the end of the 57 side (and if you are cute you will have removed it before it touches the bottom of the cage).
some airports cages are of the order 40x55x20 ie the height/width are transposed and so you would be putting the case in using the handle on the 40 side. in this instance your case will be 2 too long and so wont fit. you cant put it in the standing up as it would be far too high and so you would be asked to put it in sideways.
you cant put it in the side of the cage because the bars on the side will prevent that.you have to put it in the top.
so if they use cages you would want to be inserting your case "standing up".
if they use cardboard boxes that are the correct dimension and fit over your case then again you would want them to do it with your case "standing up".
it comes down to which type of cages/method of measurement are used in each airport.

If the airline is using a cage 55x40x20 or 40x55x20 then any case with 57 in it's measurements is too big - it doesn't matter which way you stand the cage and you don't need to try it prove it. It's what Sma's shop assistant said - Ryanair's allowance is 2 cm smaller. There is no quirk caused by the position of the cage, that difference in measurement is there to raise money. Some people haven't got the point about the 2cm difference and now Ryanair are enforcing their rule more they are getting pulled up. People can't go along with view that because they got away with it in the past, possibly without realising, Ryanair are being unfair by sticking to the existing and clearly published rule now. If there are any villains here it's the shops who imply that a bag will fit all airlines when that isn't true.

Strikes at Spanish airport

Strike action will take place today at Girona Airport in northern Spain.

Ryanair, which operates from the airport, says it will operate a full schedule of flights despite the industrial action by baggage handlers.

It is asking all passengers departing from Barcelona Girona to use its web check-in service and travel with carry-on luggage only in order to ensure their travel plans are not cancelled due to strike action.

Passengers who wish to travel with checked in luggage will be able to switch to later flights or travel from another Spanish airport.

Passengers intending to travel from Barcelona Girona between the June 17 and 20 should check http://www.ryanair.com on whether checked luggage will be accepted.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: "Ryanair will not allow the UGT Union to blackmail passengers during the important, busy summer season.

"This strike comes at a time of unprecedented unemployment and UGT members, like everyone else in the tourism industry, should be doing their best to promote and encourage air travel, not disrupt it."

With permission from Travelmole

OK 2 hand luggage bags for sale 2 cms to big for being measured sideways. lol
Trish

It seems ryanair likes to gloat at other airlines faults, forgetting they seem to have faults aswell, latest one is easy jet, flying to nowwhere

Those dam passengers...if only they'd behaved and fried.!

http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_30943.shtml

interesting, I was on an easyjet plane with what sounds like the same a/c fault in March and it did take less than an hour to fix as Ryanair suggest. But easyjet didn't shut the door or arm the slides whilst the work was being done and did hand out water quickly. Maybe if Ryanair had the same procedure it wouldn't have got out of hand.

Has anyone ever read "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"? Do you remember the starship delayed by 900 years and the passengers not allowed to get off? Douglas Adams predicted quite a lot of things - Ryanair service is one of the more unbelievable!

I have just added my suitcases to my flight details, and did this on Wed 15 June

Now ryanair havent taken the payment out of my bank, but I have received the email confirming my 20kg allowance

Now should I be worried that payment hasnt been taken, hoping it comes out on Monday

It would surprise me, I turn up at airport, and go to check in my baggage, but I have no allowance, and then with utter cheek try to charge me £50 each way

If you have a print of the email confirmation then why should there be a problem? you have checked your bank account but they don't know whether you have checked your bank balance , i'm sure they will take the money eventually .

I fully expect the payment to be taken, but just wondering if it down to ryanair changing the processing of payments, and looks like a company called cybersorce dealing with payments

Have email confirming 20 kg allowance, and printed of my boarding card, which also has suitcase allowance of 20kg

But there that niggling feeling, with my flight next week, and turn up at airport, try to drop of baggage, and its not on there system

if it's on your boarding card it's on their system. Cybersource is a division of Visa which processes card payments - even if you paid by Mastercard - it's the electronic version of Securicor picking up cash and driving it to the bank to save the actual retailer doing it.

I used my debit card for payment, according to my bank it should have been taken by now, but may very well be taken at sometime, bank just advises to make sure I leave £60 in my account

Had a similar problem back in March with sony, used my debit card to buy credit, but sony didnt take the payment until 5 weeks later, causing me to be overdrawn, luckily bank cancelled the charges

this is an international transaction so timescales may slip. The money is heading for Ireland but may be routed via Cybersource in US. Or more accurately, the request to your bank for the money is coming backwards down that chain.

As for Sony, they are based in Japan and March was a busy time there following the earthquake.

Payment was taken today 21 June