EasyJet passengers say they’re being ‘set up to fail’ by new hand luggage trial

EasyJet has been trialling a new style of hand luggage sizers (Picture: Getty Images) EasyJet passengers are divided over a new method for checking hand luggage dimensions at the boarding gate. A passenger flying from London Gatwick claimed their cabin bag ‘fit perfectly’ in the airline’s standard sizing cage. But when they arrived at the gate, staff ‘suddenly switched’ to a handheld sizer which ‘almost guarantees’ that bags won’t slide in cleanly. ‘It honestly felt like passengers were being set up to fail,’ the passenger wrote anonymously in a post on Facebook. ‘Especially since this sizer only appeared at the gate after [EasyJet’s] display sizers everywhere at the airport fit just fine.’ The passenger accused ground staff of being uninterested in helping travellers comply with sizing rules and said they were only interested in payment. Best of Metro Deals Get exclusive discounts with Metro Deals – save on getaways and spa days. Powered by Wowcher Bannatyne Spa: Spa day for two with treatments, lunch & prosecco — save up to 57% off. Get deal now Mystery Escape: Hotel stay with return flights from as low as £92pp — save on worldwide holiday packages. Get deal now Beach Retreat (Lanzarote): 4* Lanzarote beach holiday with flights — save up to 58%. Get deal now This photo shows a ground handler using a handheld sizer to measure a cabin bag at London Gatwick (Picture: Facebook) ‘We were a group and had bags with plenty of spare space overall, some of us even had large cabin/priority. We clearly suggested just reshuffling items between bags to comply if they are so insistent, which should be the obvious first step, but staff ignored that and kept insisting on extra charges,’ they wrote. It is not clear when the incident took place. However, an easyJet spokesperson told Metro that the handheld sizers were part of a limited trial on ‘a small number of flights at Gatwick’, and that the dimensions were the same as standard sizers. The airline told us: ‘This was a limited trial on a small number of flights from London Gatwick and there are no plans to roll it out across our network. ‘Ground crew check bags to ensure they fit safely onboard and in fairness to customers who have paid to bring additional bags. ‘Only if a bag is outside a customer’s booked allowance will they be charged and we remind customers of their bag allowance, including dimensions, before they travel.’ EasyJet allows all passengers to bring one small cabin bag for free, measuring a maximum of 45 x 36 x 20cm, including handles and wheels. The bag must fit underneath the seat in front of you and weigh no more than 15kg. If your hand luggage exceeds your booked allowance at the boarding gate, you will be charged a fee to have it placed in the hold.  This fee is generally £48 per bag, though it can vary depending on the route. Should people be charged for bringing oversized hand luggage on planes? Sign up to The Getaway Expert, your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro's travel editor, Alice Murphy. In July 2025, a leaked email revealed that airport staff are earning cash bonuses for every easyJet passenger they spot travelling with an oversized bag. Staff at Swissport, an aviation company that operates passenger gates at airports, are ‘eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken’, according to the message sent to staff at seven airports in the UK and the Channel Islands, including Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey and Newcastle. The payments are to ‘reward agents doing the right thing’, according to the email explaining the ‘easyJet gate bag revenue incentive’ scheme. It also emerged that ground handlers employed by another aviation firm, DHL Supply Chain, at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports are also paid extra for identifying non-compliant easyJet bags.  Swissport ground handlers earn about £12 an hour. One former passenger service manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had no choice but to police the line on oversized baggage. And while some criticised easyJet for their strict luggage rules, many saw things from the airline’s point of view. ‘It pisses me off when people try to take hand luggage that’s larger than allowed. You are given the measurements before travelling, it’s not that difficult,’ one person wrote. The common airport mistake that could get your phone confiscated at security The three-word phrase women use during sex that men say makes them ‘feel like a failure’ Balanitis is the penis issue 11% of men have — and it leaves an 'unpleasant smell' Another said: ‘Stop cramming too much in your flight bag. Just pay to put it in the hold.’ Others noted that when one passenger brings excessive hand luggage, it causes trouble for everyone else. ‘Passengers with heaps of hand luggage drive me mad!’ one woman wrote. ‘It takes an age for them to fit their bags in the overhead, and often it’s not above their seat so it blocks boarding. I’m all for this [new policy], don’t bring massive bags as carry on.’ Arrow MORE: ‘Gap diving’ is the common train habit UK commuters are embarrassed to admit to Arrow MORE: Europe’s best airline raises ticket prices by up to £360 as fuel prices soar Arrow MORE: World’s longest direct flight that takes 22 hours is almost ready for launch Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source The Getaway Expert Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro's resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.

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