KEFLAVIK, ICELAND — Everyone gains a few pounds after the holidays, but one man travelling from Iceland to England recently looked suspiciously stuffed to the gills.
According to the New York Post, Ryan Carney Williams, who goes by Ryan Hawaii, was arrested at Iceland Keflavík International Airport for wearing eight pairs of pants and 10 shirts. The wardrobe malfunction was more than just a fashion faux pas – it was also a foolish attempt to avoid paying an excess luggage fee.
Icelandic news site Mbl reports that British Airways denied Hawaii a boarding pass after he was rude to employees. When he refused to leave the check-in desk, security was then called.
In a video Hawaii posted on Twitter, he expresses his disbelief at not being able to board. He wrote: “@British_Airways hi being held at Iceland Keflavik airport because I had no baggage put all the clothes on and they still won’t let me on. Racial profiling? Or…..”.
@British_Airways hi being held at Iceland Keflavik airport because I had no baggage put all the clothes on and they still won’t let me on. Racial profiling? Or….. pic.twitter.com/NKgpe1cPFP
— Ryan Hawaii (@RYAN_HAWAII) January 10, 2018
In a subsequent tweet, Hawaii alleged that he was arrested by police, who sprayed him with mace and held him on the ground. He insists that he remained polite during the incident.
Disappointing. pic.twitter.com/7f8UFi9jb4
— Ryan Hawaii (@RYAN_HAWAII) January 10, 2018
After being taken to the police station to file a report, Hawaii returned to the airport the next day to check in for an EasyJet flight he had booked. But he said that after going through security, he was once again denied boarding at the gate “for no valid reason”, he wrote on Twitter.
With no money or any luggage (his bag had successfully travelled to England without him the day before), Hawaii was essentially stuck at the airport. He did eventually return to England via a Norwegian airline flight.
Upon his return home, Hawaii contacted both EasyJet and British Airways, both of which refunded him for his tickets.
