Taking a Trunki on to a Ryanair flight as cabin baggage

[vfoster]

Hi everyone, I'm flying with Ryanair next month and am considering buying a 'Trunki' suitcase for my 2 year old so she can take enough to keep her entertained.

I have spoken to Ryanair and Trunki and have been told that I can take it as cabin baggage, that I can't that it is too large and that I might be able to if the staff feel like it basically!
I'm really frustrated as it could cost us £100 each way to check it into the hold according to Ryanair.
Basically it seems that they might let us take it or might make us pay which does not help my anxiety!

Just wondering if anyone has any personal experience? If it makes any difference we have booked priority boarding!

Thanks for your time

I'd just take a backpack tbh. Easier to carry and not as bulky

I agree, Trunkis are one of things that seems a really good idea, but are actually a pain in the arse. Take a rucksack so you have free hands for child wrangling.

Another vote for a backpack. If you're flying Ryanair it's not long haul and I can tell you from experience that kids need a lot less for flights than you think. Why even take the chance on having to pay, especially if it's going to cause you anxiety??

Trunki's look lovely but are a royal pain in the rear to open and steer. Second a backpack too.

Ryan Air's official twitter feed said in March that they would accept Trunki's as hand luggage. I'd print the page and take it with me. Possible after retweeting it to get confirmation.

twitter.com/ryanair/status/460065532730179584

But honestly, how far are you flying? We've done the west coast of the USA multiple times and while we take trunki we wouldn't need anywhere near it's full contents to keep the kids occupied. DD (age 4) can go away for a long weekend on the stuff you can get in a trunki. I will say that them always having somewhere to sit at the airport is a big plus though.

Just to add, I looked into buying a trunki for my 2yr old Dd and it does say on them only suitable from 36mnths+ I am not sure why, but I don't think they are worth the bother until the child is much older. You will k lay end up carrying it yourself!
At the minute the Disney store have Mickey Mouse suitcases on wheels (small hand luggage size) for £11.50

Take a rucksac instead. Trunkis are a pita, and for every child I've seen using one nicely in the intended way (I spend waaay too much of my life in airports) i see 20 with parents carrying trunki and child, trunki being swung into other people, parent trying to pull trunki and getting banged in the ankles etc. And they are hard to get things out of on the plane as they have to be opened up.

Thanks for your advice everyone!
We'd thought of a Trunki as my 2yr old is still having multiple accidents a day and won't gets a bit distressed in nappies (but I'm not a baby ). We thought we'd need a bit of space for a few sets of clothes/shoes to be honest. Though we've been considering just dealing with the nappy thing.
I've managed to get Ryanair to tweet me confirmation even though customer service said absolutely not (they are far more accommodating on a public forum!) so think we'd be fine.
Now I'm reconsidering for the size! We wanted something large as we needed the extra clothes. Plus, we're only flying to Barcelona (not even 3 hours) but we are going to catch a cruise so would also need swimming stuff in our hand luggage. I've ordered one just to see it in real life but we may end up just trying to sqeeze it all in our hang luggage!

Thanks again!

We always fly with ryanair, my two dd's always take their trunkis as hand luggage. But at 5 and 7 they are old enough to understand that we will not be pulling them along etc.

www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/4984737.htm#customer_reviews - maybe something like this?

We love ours. Really handy and all air lines have taken it, including Ryan Air xx

You can squash a hell of a lot into a smallish backpack. A trunki only has an 18l capacity. Get some extra large ziplock bags to separate items.

Please be careful letting a 2yo ride on a trunki, my daughter face planted the airport concourse and ended up with a lump like an egg on her forehead. We have banned them (plus we always seemed to end up carrying the blasted things)

My friend's son used one two weeks ago on Ryanair flights. Agree that they are a pain in the areas although the teenagers in our party all wanted one!! We use backpack suitcases that can be trundled with a handle and wheels, carried by hand or worn like a back pack with the straps in a wee zipped pocket on the back of the case, dead handy and cheap,

Trunki's are a nightmare. Totally impractical. If you have other hand luggage plus a toddler I would say get a backpack.

Ŵe love our trunki and the way it opens makes it easy for dd to pack it herself. It's useful for her to sit on in long queues. It's a friendly, familiar thing when travelling. Good for one-night stays at GPS' when at home.

It is now a risk to other people's ankles (so I have to accompany it behind dd, or pick up the trunki)!

It's capacity is quite small. You can get much bigger allowable hand luggage.

Yes, we used it as hand luggage with Ryanair recently. Checked measurements, all fine.

Yes priority boarding helps. You definitely get all your (permitted) hand luggage inside the plane. If space runs out, later passengers to board might have theirs moved to the hold.

Hi, I found this thread when looking for information on google, a bit of an update - you can’t take them onboard for free anymore. You can take them on, but have to pay £10 per flight. The latest Ryanair luggage policy according to this site.

www.rhinocarhire.com/Car-Hire-Blog/April-2019/Ryanair-Ban-Trunki-Not-Allowed-as-Hand-Luggage.aspx

First off, we have flown RyanAir four times in the last year, dragging on three Trunkies each time and they never said a word; not even when there was nowhere to put them and the crew were wandering up and down trying to find them a home!!

But...

Trunkies have been the bane of our journeys. We have three children - 3,5,6 - and they seemed a great idea. The reality, however, is somewhat different.

Picture this...

You arrive at the airport; check in luggage, pushchair, three car seats, three delirious young ones, and three Trunkies. Plus hand baggage.

When they are sitting or playing the Trunkies are great but then the nightmare starts. They will not/cannot carry them. So, they either a) ride them like lunatics getting in everybody’s way OR they drag them along like miniature ankle missiles ramming them into people, stands, toddlers etc.

Feeling fraught, you arrive on the tarmac and then you board. They can’t carry them so you try to get onto the plane, mum with three children, bag of necessities over shoulder, and me with my own bag AND three Trunkies draped over me.

I can tell you there is no easy way to get three Trunkies down an aeroplane aisle so I’ve decapitated a few people etc. And then you have to find somewhere to put them. And then when you land you have to find them and repeat the process.

Nice idea. Has not worked in execution.

Maybe if the kids were older or there weren’t three of them it might work better.

But we’re just going to put what’s in them in a bag in the hold from now on and chill out and use the Trunkies for UK hols in the car.

Just our tuppence!!