A Frontier Airlines passenger’s carry-on test has sparked fierce debate after she claimed she was banned from a flight due to a dispute over the size of her carry-on bag, even though it met the allotted dimensions.
Dyana Villa, who is a journalist for the Spanish-language news outlet Univisión 32 in Salt Lake City, shared a series of TikTok videos on her account last month, in which she said she was nevertheless forced to pay $100 at the gate for her carry-on bag to fit in the personal item box.
She said she flew from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Denver before she planned to board a flight to Salt Lake City.
But Dyana says in a petition she started following the dispute that when she arrived at DCA’s gate, she was told ‘my bag was too big for a personal item, but when I put it in the measuring bin…it fit just fine.’
Dyana Villa shared a series of TikTok videos on her account last month, in which she said she had to pay $100 for her carry-on bag at the gate, despite it fitting in the box of personal items
She said she flew from DCA to Denver before she planned to board a flight to Salt Lake City. The photo shows another passenger involved in the drama
Two other people also got caught up in the drama and were also charged $100 each for their carry-on luggage.
Dyana took to her TikTok account and shared videos showing her bag and another passenger’s bag fit into the measuring bin.
In her first video, passengers can be seen asking Frontier Airlines staff to look at their luggage in the bin.
A cop is heard saying, “They don’t fit, you force them down.”
Another clip shows a passenger identifying herself as Sandra Romero speaking on camera claiming she had to throw away her clothes and was late for work.
“It was a very bad experience today. I was deeply ashamed, discriminated against, only us Spanish ladies have done this,” said Sandra.
“We saw other people of different races go in with their bags and it didn’t matter.”
She added: ‘The bags easily fit into the compartment they say should fit and they [the agent] told them to slide themselves.
“I had to take off all my underwear and bras and throw them away in front of a lot of people in a packed airport.”
Dyana took to her TikTok account and shared videos showing her bag and another passenger’s bag fit into the measuring bin
In another photo, she shows a Frontier Airlines sample of what it looks like when the bag fits and compared it to hers
Dyana’s suitcase as it appears in the box of personal items (left) and another passenger’s bag that appears to fit in its designated space (right)
In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Frontier Airlines spokesperson said, “The video does not show that the customer using the size box had an extra piece of carry-on luggage. Each customer receives one free personal item that must fit into the smaller size box.
“This customer had more than one bag and they were unable to combine them into one bag that would fit in the box of personal items. The second customer’s bag didn’t fit in the free box of personal items without taking out much of the contents.”
The spokesperson did not say which passengers are involved.
They added: ‘Most customers pay for their luggage in advance, in line with our policies, and we offer multiple reminders and options to do this before departure at a lower cost.
“Letting these customers board without paying would be unfair to any other customer who was already on board with paid baggage.”
In a later video, Dyana said they were subsequently banned from boarding in Salt Lake City for filming to “prove our bags fit.”
Sandra claims earlier in the video that a cop told them there was a problem with her ID.
In response, Frontier Airlines said, “If customers refuse to pay the required carry-on fee, which will be applied fairly and equally to all persons whose luggage does not meet the size requirements for a personal item, they will be barred from boarding the aircraft.” ‘
“Removing items from a bag to fit it in the sizer without being able to consolidate the additional items into a bag that falls within the guidelines is not an acceptable solution when a customer’s bag is too large,” the spokesperson added .
Many sat on the passenger side, one person said ‘their bags literally fit, I’m confused’
Dyana’s videos have received millions of views and thousands of comments from people debating who was right: the airline or the passengers?
Many sat on the passenger side, one person said, “Their bags literally fit, I’m confused.”
“Not only did it fit, but there was room to spare,” another person added.
“Bags were smaller than the box,” a third person wrote.
But others questioned their complaint.
“Bro, you’re all wearing half a wardrobe,” someone else said.
“Soooo, did anyone read that when they booked that no luggage is free,” another added.
“I hate it when people start recording in people’s faces,” a third commented.
A social media user came up with a simple solution: “Stop flying [with] they are the cheapest for a reason, because they are like sellers of used cars.’
But others questioned their complaint, with one person offering a simple solution: “Stop flying.” [with] them’
It was previously revealed that Frontier Airlines pays staff a $10 bonus every time they charge customers extra for oversized baggage.
A Frontier Airlines spokesperson told DailyMail.com at the time that the fee was “simply an incentive for our airport customer service agents to make sure our policies are followed and all customers are treated equally.”
Frontier Airlines charges customers between $50 and $100 for overweight baggage.
The restrictions state that personal luggage must be 18 x 4 x 8 inches, while standard luggage is 24 x 16 x 10 inches and no heavier than 35 pounds.
The airline allows passengers one piece of personal luggage free of charge.
However, if staff feel that the dimensions of the luggage are too large to fit in a cabin, they may charge the passengers on the spot.