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I wonder if I can check-in baggage at Ryanair that is more than 115cm in the total of 3 dimensions. My baggage is about 162cm and has so far passed 157 or 158cm limitations on other airlines.
However, Ryanair only accepts up to 115cm (55 x 40 x 20) for free, and the additional packages only mention the weight, not the size.
Can I check-in my bigger baggage at the check-in counter?
A bit of background might dispel the confusion: Ryanair, like other low-cost European airlines, does not include any hold (check-in) luggage allowance in its regular fares. Many people therefore travel with only hand (carry-on) luggage and they are very strict about their numbers (no personal item, even a large woman's handbag must fit in your main carry-on or you will incur additional fees to gate-check some of your luggage) and dimensions (it has to fit in a metal box at the airport, total dimension is not relevant). That's why they emphasise this so much.
The restrictions on hold luggage are mostly weight-based and going over 20kg is very expensive. With all these restrictions, dimensions are not usually a big problem and Ryanair does not rely on that to restrict what you may check in. Obviously, even if they are not communicating it prominently, very unusual luggage would be difficult to handle and there is a limit. I did find a reference to the size of hold luggage in a FAQ:
For health and safety reasons Ryanair does not accept for carriage any individual item exceeding 32 kilos or with combined dimensions of more than 81cms (height), 119cms (width) and 119cms (depth). This weight limit does not apply to mobility equipment.
Again, the total of the three dimensions isn't relevant but I assume your 162cm luggage should fit easily within this 81x119x119cm box. There is also some confusing language in the General terms & conditions suggesting that sporting equipment like skis or fishing rods might also be allowed (skis would typically be longer than 119cm so it would make little sense to mention them explicitly if they were only allowed provided they fit in these dimensions).
RyanAir does not have a size limitation to checked bags, it has a maximum weight but the bag can, in theory, be very large. The maximum weight varies from 15Kg to 20Kg depending on the route. If you exceed the weight limit then you will be charged 10 Euro per Kg over the maximum weight.
The size limit you are quoting is for cabin bags not checked bags, and each dimension is treated individually, so 115cm as nothing to do with this limit, your bag can not be longer than 55cm, wider than 40cm or thicker than 20cm, hence a bag of 60cm x 10cm x 10cm will not be allowed despite the outer dimensions being only 80cm.
RyanAir tend to be very strict on cabin bags and if your bag is too big then you will be forced to check it in and pay the fees required.
