Frontier passenger sparks furious debate after airline bars her from flight over carry-on luggage

A Frontier Airlines passenger’s carry-on luggage ordeal has sparked fierce debate after she claims she was barred from a flight over a dispute about the size of her hand luggage even though it fit the allocated measurements.

Dyana Villa, who is a journalist for Spanish-language news outlet Univisión 32 in Salt Lake City, shared a series of TikTok videos on her account last month, saying she was forced to pay $100 at the gate for her carry-on bag despite it fitting in the personal item box.

She said she was flying from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to Denver before she had 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 the gate at DCA she was told ‘my bag was too big for a personal Item, yet when I put it in the measuring bin… it fit perfectly fine.’

She said she was flying from DCA to Denver before she had planned to board a flight to Salt Lake City. Pictured is another passenger caught up in the drama

Two other people were also caught up in the drama and were also charged $100 each for their carry-on bags.

Dyana took to her TikTok account and shared videos that showed her bag and another passenger’s bag fitting into the measuring bin.

In her first video, the passengers can be seen asking Frontier Airlines staff to come over to look at their luggage in the bin.

An agent can be heard saying: ‘They don’t fit, you’re forcing them down.’

Another clip shows a passenger who identifies herself as Sandra Romero speaking to camera, claiming she had to throw away her clothes and was late to her job.

‘It was a very bad experience today. I felt very ashamed, discriminated, it was only us Hispanic ladies that they did this to,’ Sandra said.

‘We saw other people from different races going in with their bags and didn’t make a big deal.’

She added: ‘The bags fitted easily in the compartment they say it has to fit and she [the agent] said they had to slide by themselves.

‘I had to pull all of my underwear, bras, and throw it away in front of a lot of people at a packed airport.’

Dyana took to her TikTok account and shared videos that showed her bag and another passenger’s bag fitting into the measuring bin

In another photo, she shows a Frontier Airlines example of what it looks like when the bag fits and compared it to hers

Dyana’s suitcase as it sits in the personal item box (left) and another passenger’s bag that appears to fit in the space provided (right)

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a Frontier Airlines spokesperson said: ‘The video fails to show that the customer using the sizer box had an additional carry-on bag. Each customer is allowed one free personal item that must fit within the smaller sizer box.

‘This customer had more than one bag and they were not able to combine them into a single bag that fit in the personal item box. The second customer’s bag did not fit into the free personal item sizer box without removing much of its contents.’

The spokesperson did not specify the passengers they were talking about. 

They added: ‘Most customers pay for their bags in advance, in accordance with our policies, and we provide multiple reminders and opportunities to do so at a lower price in advance of departure. 

‘Allowing these customers to board without paying would be inequitable to every other customer who was already onboard with paid bags.’

In a later video, Dyana said they were then barred from boarding at Salt Lake City because they had been filming to ‘prove that our bags do fit.’

Sandra claims in the video before that an agent had told them there was a problem with her ID. 

In response, Frontier Airlines said ‘if customers refuse to pay the required carry-on bag charge that is fairly and equally applied to all individuals whose bags do not meet the size requirements for a personal item, they will be precluded from boarding the aircraft.’

‘Removing items from a bag to make it fit within the sizer without being able to consolidate the extra items into a bag that falls within the guidelines is not a permissible solution when a customer’s bag is oversized,’ the spokesperson added.

Many were on the passengers’ side, with one person saying: ‘Their bags literally fit, I’m confused’

Dyana’s videos has garnered millions of views and thousands of comments from people debating who was in the right: the airline or the passengers?

Many were on the passengers’ side, with one person saying: ‘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 y’all are wearing 1/2 y’alls wardrobe,’ someone else said.

‘Soooo did anyone read when they booked no bags are free,’ another added.

‘I hate when people start recording in the face of the people,’ a third comment read.

One social media user offered a simple solution: ‘Quit flying [with] them, they are the cheapest for a reason because they are like used car sales people.’ 

But others questioned their complaint, with one person offering a simple solution: ‘Quit flying [with] them’

It has been previously revealed that Frontier Airlines pays staff a $10 bonus every time they charge customers extra for oversized luggage.

A spokesman for Frontier Airlines told DailyMail.com at the time the fee was ‘simply an incentive for our airport customer service agents to help ensure compliance with our policies and that all customers are treated equally.’ 

Frontier Airlines charges customers between $50 and $100 for luggage that is overweight.

Its restrictions state that personal baggage 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 for free.

However if staff deem the bag’s dimensions too big to fit in a cabin they can charge passengers on the spot.