Ryanair leaves couple furious over £78 bill to bring pastries onto flight
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary so far shtum on pastry payments
PA
A couple passengers were left up in arms after the airline ordered them to cough up €45 (£39) each to take two Mallorcan pastries onto the plane.
Before boarding a Ryanair flight from Palma de Mallorca airport, two passengers were stopped in their tracks by officials as their Mallorcan ensaïmada pastries were deemed to have exceeded cabin baggage limits.
Fearing that news of the charge could dissuade tourists from frequenting local food stalls for souvenir snacks, Mallorcan politicians have been quick to question Ryanair’s stringency.
Iago Negueruela, tourism minister for the Balearics, told the Mirror that he called the airline to a meeting to "defend local produce and avoid any kind of discrimination."
The ensaïmada is a spiral-shaped traditional sweet bread
Visit Palma
Pep Magraner, the president of the Balearic Islands pastry-makers association, has looked to reassure tourists that only Ryanair were taking these measures and other airlines would be more lenient on pastry transport.
Magraner went as far as to say that "all the other airlines" flying from Palma de Mallorca would allow people to take ensaïmada on board, singling out Ryanair.
Hammering home the message, Magraner said: "It’s only a problem with Ryanair, but we’re talking about a lot of flights, especially to the Spanish mainland, which is the destination of most of the ensaïmadas."
Ryanair typically allows passengers to take food onto flights so long as it is in hand luggage, though the airline is stricter than others on allowing hot drinks.
The Ryanair social media team has built up a reputation for snarky and witty comebacks
PA
Ryanair guidance states that it forbids “passengers to board the plane with hot drinks or consume their own alcohol” for safety reasons.
Famous for favouring witty comebacks over sympathetic customer service, Ryanair recently hit back at a honeymoon couple for moaning about a lack of window on the plane.
The ensaïmada is a spiral-shaped traditional sweet bread of the Spanish island of Mallorca dating back to the 17th century, made from flour, water, eggs, sugar, mother dough and a reduced pork lard.
Once risen, the dough is baked in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes and served with a dusting of sugar.
Portals Nous beach in Mallorca
Reuters
The couple resolved to abandon the pastries, rather than succumb to the surcharge.
The debacle is part of a wider dispute surrounding the definition and interpretation of hand luggage, for the Balearic Islands’ consumer affairs office filed cases against easyJet, Eurowings and Volotea last year, demanding fines of €20,000 for charging large fees for hand luggage.
The consumers’ association Facua brought about similar charges to Vueling and Ryanair, which are being considered by the consumer affairs office.
Ryanair has been contacted for comment.