Ryanair ‘shouted without any respect’ at neurodivergent double bassist

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German-Italian double bassist Valentina Ciardelli, an international performer and double bass professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, was booked to fly with Ryanair from Pisa International Airport, Italy to London Stansted, UK, on 28 August. However, once at the airport she encountered numerous difficulties. She later turned to social media to make an appeal for the fair treatment of musicians and neurodivergent persons travelling with Ryanair.

According to Ciardelli, she was initially told she needed to purchase an additional seat in order to take her bow case onboard – despite having taken it on previous flights without issue, placing it within the overhead storage – and ultimately had to pay €32 for priority boarding in order to take it onboard.

Furthermore, she was informed that her double bass also required an additional seat, despite the flight case far exceeding the permitted dimensions. Ciardelli was asked to place the instrument on the regular luggage belt, and when it didn’t fit, she suggested having it weighed at the oversize luggage belt, where she had done so previously. According to Ciardelli, she was informed by one staff member that there was no scale; later, another employee stated that the scale was broken; eventually, however, this scale was used to weigh her double bass.

As per the website guidelines, Ciardelli had paid Ryanair’s €50 musical instrument fee, which allows for a maximum weight of up to 20kg. According to Ciardelli, her double bass and its case weigh approximately 30kg. Once it had been weighed – at the scale which Ciardelli alleges to have been faulty – she was made to pay €11 per kilo, bringing her total to €132.

According to Ciardelli, despite having frequently flown with Ryanair previously, she had not encountered these unexpected costs before. She asserts that Ryanair’s musical instrument policies are confusing and inconsistent, and highlights the policy that allows for bicycles to weigh up to 30kg.

‘If a bicycle can be up to 30kg, why should a musical instrument be treated differently?’ she wrote in her appeal. ‘These issues highlight a broader problem with the current policy and its application. Musical instruments are essential tools for musicians, and traveling with them should be managed with the same respect as other types of equipment.’

According to Ciardelli, the experience was contrary to Ryanair’s published commitment to supporting passengers with neurodivergence. Previously, when carrying her Hidden Disabilities Sunflower card -which Ryanair publicly recognises – she states that she had always been helped in boarding with priority without any further fee. This time, however, Ciardelli asserts that she was shouted at ‘without any respect’.

‘Is this how Ryanair’s Sunflower Card policy is applied?’ she wrote. ‘It seems that no one, neurotypical or otherwise, would receive such treatment.’

She went on to thank Italian conductor Gianluca Marcianò, who happened to be at the airport and acted in defence of the double bassist and her rights, alongside her boyfriend. Ciardelli is currently working with the Musicians’ Union on the matter, and states that she is open to working with Ryanair to find a more equitable solution, as she has done with other airlines in the past.

‘As part of musician community and neurodivergent I urge Ryanair to review and revise its policies to ensure fair treatment for musicians. Increasing the weight limit for musical instruments and applying the rules more consistently would greatly reduce the stress musicians face when traveling,’ Ciardelli wrote. ‘Let’s make travel fair for everyone, especially for those who bring us the music we all love.’

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