A Ryanair passenger was left in tears after being denied boarding at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria because of her bag size. The woman went down on her knees, crying and striking a door as her hand luggage exceeded the allowed size.
This incident occurred on July 28 when a woman came to the check-in area at the Sofia Airport and tried to fit her bag, which was over the airline’s weight and size limits. When the crew asked her to pay an additional fee, she refused, leading to a tense situation. She pleaded with the staff, assuring them she could make the bag fit. After several attempts, she managed to do so, but the crew still denied her boarding.
In distress, she began to cry and begged border police to let her on the flight, as other passengers watched from behind a glass door. Still desperate to get on, she started hitting the door and calling for help. As her pleas grew louder, more staff gathered and surrounded her.
Nikolay Stefanov, the bystander who captured the upsetting incident on video, said the situation “escalated quickly.”
“She was pleading with us not to leave, but we were threatened that the entire flight would be canceled if we didn’t get on the bus, so passengers became frightened and left,” he said, as reported by the New York Post.
Stefanov added that the other passengers were shocked to see how the crew treated the woman and refused to let her board the flight.
The viral video quickly drew attention in Bulgaria’s parliament, prompting Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov to order a review of the airport’s security footage. This followed reports describing the staff’s behavior during the incident as “unacceptable,” according to Bulgarian news sources.
In response, Goldair Handling Bulgaria issued a statement to BNT News, emphasizing that their employees acted “professionally” and did not make any physical contact with the passenger.
“All rules regarding passengers’ baggage, its permissible size and the fees payable for baggage are determined solely, entirely and unilaterally by the airlines,” the handling company said.
The video shows the female passenger kneeling and pleading with officers to let her board the flight.
This incident occurred on July 28 when a woman came to the check-in area at the Sofia Airport and tried to fit her bag, which was over the airline’s weight and size limits. When the crew asked her to pay an additional fee, she refused, leading to a tense situation. She pleaded with the staff, assuring them she could make the bag fit. After several attempts, she managed to do so, but the crew still denied her boarding.
In distress, she began to cry and begged border police to let her on the flight, as other passengers watched from behind a glass door. Still desperate to get on, she started hitting the door and calling for help. As her pleas grew louder, more staff gathered and surrounded her.
Nikolay Stefanov, the bystander who captured the upsetting incident on video, said the situation “escalated quickly.”
“She was pleading with us not to leave, but we were threatened that the entire flight would be canceled if we didn’t get on the bus, so passengers became frightened and left,” he said, as reported by the New York Post.
Stefanov added that the other passengers were shocked to see how the crew treated the woman and refused to let her board the flight.
🇧🇬A Ryanair passenger broke down in tears after being denied boarding at Sofia Airport, Bulgaria. She was seen on her knees, crying and hitting a door after staff said her hand luggage was too large.
— 凤凰欧洲 PhoenixCNE News (@PhoenixCNE_News) July 28, 2025
As passengers lined up to board a bus to the plane, she was stopped and told to… pic.twitter.com/qocmocdyNx
The viral video quickly drew attention in Bulgaria’s parliament, prompting Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Grozdan Karadjov to order a review of the airport’s security footage. This followed reports describing the staff’s behavior during the incident as “unacceptable,” according to Bulgarian news sources.
In response, Goldair Handling Bulgaria issued a statement to BNT News, emphasizing that their employees acted “professionally” and did not make any physical contact with the passenger.
“All rules regarding passengers’ baggage, its permissible size and the fees payable for baggage are determined solely, entirely and unilaterally by the airlines,” the handling company said.
The video shows the female passenger kneeling and pleading with officers to let her board the flight.
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