Anger over Ryanair disclaimer

Passengers flying with popular budget airline Ryanair are reportedly being forced to sign a waiver agreeing not to hold the company responsible in the event of damaged suitcases.

Holidaymakers going from London’s Stansted to Malta claim they were told they would not be allowed to check-in luggage for the hold without signing the document.

And the passengers say that when they arrived at Malta International Airport on Wednesday, their suitcases were indeed damaged.

Ryanair staff allegedly told the passengers that they were being asked to sign the disclaimer due to a surge in incidents at Malta International Airport. 

Ryanair also slapped a bright green sticker on the luggage, to reaffirm that passengers would not claim for damaged bags. 

The sticker read: ‘Limited release. Carriers participating in the transport of this item may not accept claims resulting from the above conditions of acceptance.’

Ryanair said in a statement: ‘If a customer is travelling with a bag that has any damage (minor/major) they are requested to complete a limited release tag so we can identify that the bag had been previously damaged prior to carriage on board a Ryanair flight. 

‘Ryanair processes baggage claims in full accordance with the Montreal Convention and Ryanair’s General Terms and Conditions of Carriage.’

Malta airport have hit back at Ryanair though, and said they had no knowledge of complaints about their baggage handling.

A spokesperson from GlobeGround Malta Limited, the company that handles Ryanair luggage at the airport, said they had no knowledge of this new policy before they saw stickers related to the new policy on the suitcases.