A tighter enforcement of cabin bag policy by Flybe has upset passengers, but the airline insists it gave plenty of warning.
Some passengers, many of them frequent Flybe customers, took to social media to complain after they were charged £50 for going over bag size restrictions.
They claimed they had flown many times before with the same size luggage without incurring the charge.
Flybe insisted its cabin baggage restrictions have not changed since April 2016 but that it had decided to enforce the policy more consistently since mid January.
It said the decision was based on customer feedback that rules had been inconsistently applied in the past.
"We’ve directed our ground handling agents across the network to make sure the policy is now enforced. This means that no one can take on board an oversized item, making it fair for everyone," said a spokesman.
Flybe claimed it still has a generous hand baggage allowance of two pieces of cabin baggage – one item that does not exceed 55x35x20 cm, and one smaller additional piece such as a handbag or laptop case.
Defending accusations that checks were tightened without warning, Flybe said it began fully implementing this policy following a number of successful pilot projects across its network last year.
"Prior to the roll-out date, we also communicated extensively to alert customers that we would be enforcing the policy from January 17 2019 and reminder alerts are placed on all pre-flight confirmations and is also highlighted on the front page of our website. We also highlight the information at the top of the first page of the online booking process."
