Cheeky holidaymaker dodges 'stupid' £50 Ryanair baggage fine with hack

A cheeky holidaymaker re-enacted an iconic Friends scene to dodge Ryanair's 'stupid' £50 excess baggage fine - by piling on five layers of his own clothes. Connor Kirk was ready to board his flight back from Lanzarote when he says he was told his carry-on duffel bag was too large and he'd have to pay a £50 fine.

However, the 25-year-old insisted he wouldn't pay and told Ryanair staff he'd wear the clothes that tipped him over the allowance so it'd be small enough to fit onboard for free. Connor says he put three shirts and a jacket over his vest top and managed to pull on three pairs of shorts.

The holidaymaker's ploy drew comparisons to the episode of hit TV show Friends where Joey dons Chandler's entire wardrobe. Footage shows the retail worker and fellow passengers laughing as he completes the bulging multi-coloured outfit.

The clip of his clothes-wearing antics at Arrecife Airport has gone viral, racking up more than 9,000 views on Facebook. Connor claims that when he was let through by bemused staff other holidaymakers cheered and when he repacked the bag before take-off it still fit under his seat.

Despite finding the situation funny, Connor says Ryanair should allow larger bags to be carried on board for free. Connor, from Shirebrook, Nottinghamshire, said: "When they told me the land luggage was too big I had a little bit of an argument with them.

"I then just said 'right, I'll wear my clothes then'. They told me I could do it without expecting me to, so I took everything out of the bag and put three tops on, a jacket on and I had a vest on then I put three pairs of shorts on.

"I wasn't paying £50 to get back into my own country. I'd spent enough on holiday as it was, it's stupid. Everyone was laughing but I didn't mind it. I wasn't embarrassed at all. I'm quite outgoing like that anyway.

"I saw someone compare it to that scene from Friends where Joey is wearing loads of clothes. I'm glad I did it and because it's given people an idea. If I can save people money then why not?"

"I think the size of the bags you can take on should be a little bit bigger because you can still fit the bag under your seat." Connor, who also had a suitcase in the plane's hold, had been holidaying in Lanzarote with his sister Mikhaela Kirk, 29, and their mum Kerry Kirk, 49, for five days.

He insists staff didn't have any issue with their carry-on bag ahead of their outbound flight from East Midlands Airport, Derbyshire. Connor says Kerry was forced to pay the return flight fine as her small carry-on bag was too large too and she didn't want to copy her son's cheeky stunt.

Mikhaela's post, which included the video, read: "Our bags didn't fit, so Connor decided to wear his clothes so the bag fit. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was laughing their heads off at us and then when the bag fit, everyone started laughing and cheering! Honestly hilarious.

"I can confirm only mum paid for her luggage. Me and Connor were not prepared to pay extra." One commented: "I'd have been on the floor if I'd been watching."

A second said: "Well done Connor." A third simply added: "Bloody brilliant." Ryanair have been contacted for comment.