A UK traveler recounted an incident where she was instructed to take off her jacket at the airport gate before boarding the plane due to a disagreement over hand luggage. The woman, flying from London Gatwick to Düsseldorf with easyJet, had opted for an under-the-seat cabin bag to save money for her short five-day trip to Germany.
She shared in a TikTok video that she had worn a jacket and scarf to the airport because of the cold UK weather. After passing through security, she proceeded to the boarding gate, where she removed her scarf while waiting in line. Upon reaching the front of the queue, she was asked to demonstrate that her bag met the size requirements. Although it fit, an easyJet staff member pointed out that her bag was not zipped up.
Allegedly, she was then told to zip up the bag, and later informed that her duty-free items from Boots had to fit inside her hand luggage as well. After some back and forth with the staff, she rearranged her items to accommodate the duty-free purchases.
In an attempt to free up space, she put on her jumper and coat and packed her scarf along with the duty-free items in her hand luggage. Despite complying, she was asked to recheck her bag in the luggage sizer due to an issue with her hairbrush. Eventually, she was given the go-ahead to board after some confusion and last-minute instructions.
Before boarding, she was instructed to ensure her bag was placed under the seat in front of her, not in the overhead compartment. She later expressed her disbelief to fellow passengers about being asked to remove her jacket. easyJet later apologized for the incident and offered a goodwill gesture to the traveler.
