The things you experience when bringing someone to the airport… A young american woman obviously hadn't travelled with Ryanair before and brought hand luggage that weighed a few kilograms too much. That led to a heated discussion first, then to a phone call to her agent (who seemingly had booked the flight for her), and then she was in tears and went through her things to decide what to leave behind – which included a few personal items, like a few photos, books and her bible.

She was part of a small group, and her luggage didn't seem to cause any trouble during check-in. Only when entering security, and only when most of her group had already gone through security they noticed the extra weight.

It was heart-wrenching to watch this scene. I didn't know the background and had no idea whether she knew the rules or not. But it seemed to me that the Ryanair people were not able to deal with the situation in an adequate way. They didn't offer a realistic alternative like checking in her luggage for an extra fee, handing over the things to others in the group or other options.

On top of that came the cultural misunderstanding that the passenger expressed her displeasure quite clearly. The lady working for Ryanair took that personal and defended herself, even though it was clear to everyone involved that the rules are like that and that she can't do anything. She seemingly did not understand what the passenger meant, even when she was told “I'm not talking to you” several times. I guess that situations like that happen on a regular basis and that it is not too much to expect the Ryanair personnel to be able to deal with such situations politely but decidedly. It probably would have helped if the people from Ryanair would have spoken English better…

And our personal experience with Ryanair? Even before flying, we noticed that checking in at the counter sets you back by an extra €10 per flight, which translates to a fee for non-EU-citizens and the disabled (both are not allowed to use the online check-in). After booking the flight, the fee suddenly included a €10 “CC fee” (probably a credit card charge). They could have mentioned that earlier… In addition to that, all rules are enforced strictly. One piece of hand luggage up to 10 kg means exactly that: No exta laptop bag, not even an extra ladies' hanbag, even when everything together still weighs less than 10 kg.

It's probably possible to find out about all this by reading through the website and the little signs at the airport very carefully. But if you just rely on your experience with other airlines, you'll be screwed royally. They have the hints, but you have to search for them. Even at the check-in counter, they didn't try very hard to make the hand luggage regulations very noticeable. My overall impression is that Ryanair is rather merciless – in the true meaning of the word.

Now I am curious to hear what the flight itself will be like.