Springwood couple’s hefty hand luggage bill with Flybe

May 7 2009 by Anne-Marie Senior, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A COUPLE whose trip of a lifetime ended with a hefty £264 hand luggage bill are warning other passengers to be vigilant.

Robert and Margaret Hawkins were stung with charges as they took a £74 flight from Southampton to Manchester with Flybe.

The pensioners, of Springwood Hall Gardens, were returning from an Antarctic cruise as part of a six-week adventure covering Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Ghana, Tenerife and Portugal.

But it wasn’t until they hit Southampton that their cabin-sized bags caused them problems.

Mr Hawkins, 78, said: “We were just checking in and were told to put our hand luggage in a frame to measure it.

“We had been on four flights with these cases without any problems, but the cases didn’t fit by 2cm. If I’d chopped the wheels off, they’d have gone in. We had no choice but to add it to the luggage in the hold.”

The couple were made to pay an extra £264 to add the two 9kg cases to their main luggage – which was already 2kg below their 20kg allowance each.

Mr Hawkins added: “I was sloughed. You can’t argue with the booking conditions but these charges are outrageous.