EXCLUSIVE Moment when finance manager and her two children are turned away from Ryanair flight by police in a furious argument over the size of a hand luggage – while accusing staff of ‘racially profiling’ her

A finance manager has accused Ryanair of ‘racist profiling’ of her and her family after she was turned away from a flight in a furious row over the size of her hand luggage.

Mum-of-two Chassidy Robertson, 28, returned to London last month after a week-long break in Fuerteventura, Spain with her two children and younger sister Danique, when she was told her priority 10kg boarding bag was too big.

In a video filmed by her sister, staff can be heard telling Ms Robertson she is no longer allowed to fly and to ‘leave’ the airport because of the ‘scene’ she made at the gate – as they called the police on the family.

Ms Robertson believes the row came after she was ‘racially profiled’ by staff who reportedly told her they ‘didn’t like’ the way she looked at a member of staff as she walked through the gate.

Ryanair has denied the allegations, called them ‘completely false’ and maintained the passenger’s bag was simply too big for their size restrictions and had to be put in the hold.

The airline says Ms Robertson was removed because she became ‘abusive’ and tried to board the plane without permission.

The confrontation left Ms Robertson feeling “attacked” and “embarrassed”, but also saddened by her desperation to board, having run out of formula for her one-year-old daughter, who has several allergies.

Ms Robertson had paid an extra £25 to upgrade her sister to priority boarding and allow a 10kg bag on the flight – but the airline said it was the size of her bag, not the weight, meaning that she would have to pay extra to go into the hold.

The mother-of-two claims the argument broke out because they had been told they had not paid priority for the bag and that staff did not like a ‘dirty look’ or ‘side eye’ she allegedly gave to a member of staff during scanning her boarding lane.

Ryanair have since insisted that although they had paid for the 10kg cabin bag, it was not within the dimensions allowed for the flight, so the group was advised to pay a standard fee to put it in the hold several times before committing to a worked away. the gate’.

Concerned about her one-year-old daughter, who had run out of prescription milk she relies on due to her allergies, the mother was moved to tears and had to book a flight on another airline to return to the UK.

In a furious letter to the airline, Ms Robertson told them she believes the incident happened ‘because she’s a black woman’ and vowed to ‘make sure it doesn’t go unheard’.

Mrs Robertson, from Putney, London, said: ‘In fact, talking about it now makes me so upset. I do think it was racism. My children have never experienced anything like this, my son was crying.

“I just wanted to sort it out because my one year old has medical issues, she has a special formula that ran out that day because I didn’t bring an extra one on vacation.”

“My great-grandmother had just passed away unexpectedly, so we wanted to go back that day to be with family. They didn’t want to hear it though, they just said we’re not flying today.’

She also claimed that one of the handling agents told her sister, who filmed the exchange, that if she removed one of her videos, they would be allowed on board – before “laughing” at them and still denying them entry when she did.

Mrs Robertson said, ‘They’ve called the police. At no point were we ever violent or threatening.

“Other people waiting to board the plane said, ‘How could you do this to this woman and her children?’ One lady herself cried for how they treated us.’

In the footage, an employee can be heard telling Ms Robertson that she has no right of way and still has to pay at the gate – causing further confusion.

During the confrontation, a frustrated Danique can be heard quoting Danielle Bregoli in the video as she threatens, “You’re lucky I don’t live here, I’d catch you outside.”

The group were escorted by police to Ryanair’s office where they were told the next flight was on Friday, meaning they would have to find accommodation to stay for another four nights.

As she was out of formula and unable to afford it, Ms Robertson eventually booked them on an easyJet flight for later that day.

She said: ‘When we boarded the plane they scanned our boarding passes and looked at our passports and let us through. Everything was fine. We were in the little tunnel about to board the plane and I got a call back.

“She told me we didn’t have priority baggage and we wouldn’t be flying today because she didn’t like the way I looked at her when she scanned my boarding pass. This made no sense to me. I had priority booking on my phone, it was on the app. She denied we had it.

“When I walked through (the gate), I didn’t even look at her. I was more focused on my kids and getting them through.

“Regardless of whether I gave her a funny look, which I didn’t, that’s no reason not to let someone on the plane.

“I didn’t think this would justify us not flying, so I went back to my sister and kids. We were then forcibly taken off the line. They began to push me with my one-year-old daughter in my hands. My son cried, my daughter cried. I felt so ashamed and attacked.

“I asked, ‘Is it racially motivated?’ They laughed and said “if that’s what you want to think.”

“Looking through it again brings tears to my eyes that my kids had to see that.”

Since returning home, the mother has sent a complaint to Ryanair via email, but she felt their response showed ‘no remorse’, denying any racism and only reiterating that her sister’s bag was too big. Now she is terrified of getting on another plane and traveling abroad in case the same thing ever happens again.

A Ryanair spokesman said: ‘This passenger’s hand luggage exceeded the dimensions allowed for her flight from Fuerteventura to Luton (July 17).

Under Ryanair’s terms and conditions, accepted by the passenger at the time of booking, oversized hand luggage must be placed in the hold of the aircraft at a standard rate communicated to the passenger at check-in and again at the gate.

“This passenger refused to pay the standard baggage fee and became abusive to staff, including forcing herself through the gate and toward the aircraft, where gate staff promptly requested police assistance and the passenger was removed.”