Passenger Told To Put Bag in Checker—No One Prepared for What She Does Next

A video showing a determined passenger forcing her suitcase into an airline’s baggage size checker has gone viral on TikTok, drawing attention to increasingly strict carry-on enforcement policies amid booming travel demand.

The clip, shared by user Arina (@summermken_official), has amassed over 10.9 million views since it was posted on July 23. In the video, Arina is seen at an airport check-in counter vigorously pushing her suitcase into a metal frame bag checker and later struggling to extract it, both actions requiring visible force. The caption reads: “Never give up, at least not on the sake of €200 [around $235].”

Arina, who did not share her last name, age or location, told Newsweek that the incident took place on a recent Vueling flight from Paris to London. The Spanish low-cost carrier had flagged her bag for size verification.

“They asked me to place my bag in the checker to confirm it met size requirements,” she said. “We had four of the same carry-on luggage and they told me to check three. It seemed that they were just suspicious of the size of my bag since it didn’t seem like carry-on luggage.”

A screenshot from a viral TikTok video showing a passenger shoving a suitcase into a bag checker at the airport.

@summermken_official on TikTok

The viral moment arrives as global air travel demand continues to rise. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported in June that May saw a 5 percent increase in travel demand compared to the previous year, along with a record-high load factor for international flights—a measure of how full flights are.

“Air travel demand growth was uneven in May. Globally, the industry reported 5 percent growth with Asia-Pacific taking the lead at 9.4 percent,” said IATA director general Willie Walsh in a statement. “The outlier was North America which reported a 0.5 percent decline, led by a 1.7 percent fall in the U.S. domestic market.”

Airlines have faced growing criticism online for inconsistent or excessive baggage fee enforcement. Though low-cost carriers like Vueling rely on ancillary fees, including baggage charges, to keep fares low.

Vueling’s policy permits each passenger to bring one underseat cabin bag for free, with maximum dimensions of 40x30x20 centimeters. Depending on the fare or added extras, passengers may also carry an overhead locker bag weighing up to 10 kilograms and measuring 55x40x20 centimeters. Charges for such bags range from €10 (around $12) to €59 (around $69) when added online or via the app, and from €45 (around $53) to €75 (around $88) at the airport, according to the airline’s website.

Arina said she had verified that her suitcase complied with Vueling’s size rules before traveling. “I was 100 percent sure that it would fit [in the bag checker] as before I bought the luggage, it had the measurements required to do so written in its description, plus I measured it before buying and it fit the standards of the company,” she told Newsweek.

She described the airline employee’s reaction as unexpectedly skeptical. “She seemed quite surprised that the suitcase actually fit, and I got the impression she was disappointed there was no reason to charge us extra,” Arina said. “She said, with genuine shock, that I must be very strong to have managed to put it in and pull it out—she clearly didn’t expect it to fit at all.”