Star violinist accuses Ryanair of treating her ‘like a piece of garbage’ after claiming staff refused to let her board with her 200-year-old instrument because it was 1cm too big

A classical musician says she was left humiliated and on the verge of tears after Ryanair refused to let her board with her violin because it was 1cm too big. 

Esther Abrami, 27, claims airline staff treated her ‘like a piece of garbage’ and suggested she pay to put the fragile 200-year-old instrument in the cargo hold with other travellers’ luggage. 

The star violinist, who is French but lives in Manchester, had been set to jet from Marseille to Berlin to record her third album with Sony this week. 

Ms Abrami said she had flown countless times with Ryanair, taking her precious violin as cabin luggage, and never had an issue. 

But on Tuesday she says she was stopped at the gates and ‘publicly humiliated’ as she tried to persuade staff to let her board – even offering to cough up cash to pay for an extra seat. 

The 27-year-old musician took to Instagram to share her upset – claiming she was ‘publicly humiliated’

Ms Abrami says she was left on the verge of tears after being told her 200-year-old violin was 1cm too big to take on as cabin baggage 

The 27-year-old said claimed her violin’s case was 56cm, when the cabin baggage limit is 55cm, and even offered to take it out of its case and hold it during the flight. 

But, Ms Abrami says she staff said that wasn’t an option – and labelled the way they treated ‘unacceptable’. 

She wrote on Instagram: ‘I was spoken to like a piece of garbage, told to get out of their way if I wasn’t going to check in the violin as I was wasting their time. 

‘I feel so humiliated, held in my tears, trying not to break in front of all the people about to board the plane watching the scene.’ 

Ryanair claims Ms Abrami was not refused boarding, and should have booked an extra seat when she paid for her ticket in July. 

The violinist said she couldn’t believe the ‘rudeness’ she was met with. 

She wrote on Instagram: ‘I was refused boarding on a Ryanair flight with my 200 years old violin today. On my way to Berlin, departing from Marseille to record my third album with Sony Classical, this is the first time I have experienced such rudeness and public humiliation.

‘Just before boarding the flight I was stopped and told I could not board on with my violin. I offered to pay whatever it would cost to take it with me, they refused.

‘I offered to buy an extra seat, they said the flight was closed already and I could not buy an extra seat anymore (despite the flight not being full).

‘They said the only option was to check it in with the LUGGAGES or just leave at the airport. I explained the price and the fragility of the violin.

‘I begged them, explaining I was recording this very same day for my album, telling that I had flown an incredible number of times with this company and never experienced this.

‘It came to the point where I even offered to take my violin out of the case, keeping its fabric protection and just carry it by hand and keeping it on me during the whole flight whilst they put the case in the cargo.

‘They made me open my case on the floor, put the violin in the place to measure suitcases. The requirements for the cabin luggage – which I had paid for already – is a length of 55cm.

‘My violin measures 56cm, it fitted diagonally, and otherwise was 1cm over. Even this was refused.’ 

Ms Abrami says she was ‘incredibly fortunate’ that she could book a last minute ticket with another airline. 

Ryanair said: ‘This passenger was not refused travel from Marseille to Berlin (3 Sep). Ms. Abrami booked her flight on July 5 and at the time did not opt to pay for an extra seat fare for her violin as per Ryanair’s terms and conditions when travelling with musical instruments. 

‘When this passenger checked in her bag at the check in desk prior to her flight (3 Sep) she was advised by the check in desk agent of her option to purchase an additional bag where her violin would be put in the hold.

‘The passenger refused and proceeded to the gate. This passenger’s violin exceeded the cabin bag dimensions permitted for her flight, and therefore she was required to pay a standard gate baggage fee at the gate. This passenger refused to pay the standard fee and instead chose not to travel on this flight.’