Ryanair tells girl to buy £190 plane seat for violin

A Cheshire music student was ordered to buy an extra seat for her violin after an airline refused to let her take the instrument as hand luggage.

Francesca Rijks, 12, from Macclesfield, was flying home with her family from Dusseldorf after a holiday in Germany.



Staff told them to put the violin in the hold - which would potentially ruin the instrument. Francesca and her family got off the plane to buy the ticket, and missed the flight.

They had been advised to buy the £190 ticket after calling the airline. The family ended up flying back with Easyjet, who let them board the plane with the violin as hand luggage.