A passenger on a low cost carrier was caught with a carry-on bag that was a bit larger than allowed. Rather than being forced to check the bag (and pay for it), he decided to rip off the bag’s wheels to make it fit. He succeeds – and he shoves the bag into the sizer – though he then struggles to get it out.
This looks like easyJet to me. The watch the passenger is wearing appears to be a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, though perhaps it’s a replica. Although if the wheels rip off so easily, perhaps it’s a cheap bag to begin with – not much lost by doing this, and possibly the bag fee would have cost more than the bag itself.
İtalya’daki havalimanında bagaj boyutundan dolayı ek ücret ödemek istemeyen Alman yolcu, valizin tekerleklerini kırdı. pic.twitter.com/YR8GZtq1xT
— . (@gzwkdp) December 2, 2025
Since easyJet makes its money more on fees than fares, they’re known to be a stickler for carry-on bags. Here’s a man who had to prove his bag fit in the sizer at the gate. It barely fit, and he shoved it in so hard, it got stuck for good.
@hotasfo_o dont die for easy jet #fyp #viral #plane #funny ♬ original sound – sam
I’ve had my own run-in with an American Airlines gate agent who demanded I check something that fit in the sizer. I wish I’d had the same gusto as one journalist who called the police on an aggressive gate agent demanding he check his carry-on that fit.
Here in the states, American Airlines recently removed bag sizers from their gates, following a move by United. Bag size rules are still in effect, but if it’s on the line agents are less likely to enforce it.
Checking a carry-on bag is often more than the bag is worth so I understand people ripping off the wheels instead of being ripped off by the gate agent. For some reason carry-on luggage manufacturers like to make their luggage larger than standard sizes that the airlines publish. For instance, Delta publishes the max size as 22 x 14 x 9, all in inches and including any protruding handles or wheels. A lot of times you will find a 19 inch bag with wheels that take it close to 22 inches but it will be 15 inches wide or close to 10 inches deep. Myself, I have moved on to a large backpack instead which has as much interior room but the exterior dimensions are less, making it easier to go through the gate luggage check.
Hard to see but looks like a Pepsi GMT Master II to me.
Agreed with what @jns said. I’ve seen some pretty large backpacks go through unquestioned simply because they’re backpacks and not rollers. And much more convenient when feasible.
I have no sympathy. I’ll be flying Ryanair next summer and know exactly what the size limits are.
Let me add on to my comment. Some of us fly on airlines that have weight limits on carry-on bags. With some it is 10kg, others 7kg and some others 5kg. Some combine the weight of the carry-on bag and the personal item and others just weigh the carry-on bag. When you have a 3kg roller bag and a 5kg limit, that doesn’t leave much weight to work with. Fortunately lightweight duffle bags and backpacks allow you to pack more and still be under the weight limit. For years I carried a briefcase as my personal item and then some airlines shrunk the allowable size so I went to a smaller bag. Now I usually have a small backpack to carry laptops and accessories. The cellphones, credit cards, license, money and passport goes in a waist bag.
There’s 2 ways to look at this: The Rolex is fake, and the passenger is too cheap to pay the checked bag fee.
Or, the Rolex is real, this is the only flight that worked for PAX’s schedule, and his time waiting for his bag at destination is worth more than the bag itself.
I lean towards the latter, as isn’t easy Jet also charging for carry-ons? I don’t have experience with that particular airline, but Spirit actually charges MORE for carry-ons than checked bags due to both the convenience and boarding costs.
As a member of carry-on only club, I must say, in this context, @jns gets it.