'Treated like a criminal, handcuffed and taken to a cell': Passenger 'arrested for rowing with easyJet staff over size of hand luggage' at Geneva airport
- Luciana Bisignani, 48, was arrested at Geneva International Airport
- She claims she was detained because her hang luggage was too big
- easyJet says woman was disruptive toward police officers
An Italian woman claims she was arrested and thrown in a police holding cell due to a row with easyJet staff over the size of her hand luggage.
The woman, identified as Luciana Bisignani, was detained by police at Geneva International Airport as she attempted to board a flight to Venice.
The 48-year-old from Pederobba told Italian newspaper Il Mattino she was 'treated like a criminal, handcuffed and taken to a cell, only for not managing to put my handbag inside a suitcase.'
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An Italian woman claims she was detained after she got into a row with easyJet staff over her hand luggage
Luciana, who was returning home after spending the summer working at a restaurant in Chamonix, France, claimed an air steward tore her identity card and the police threw her to the ground and handcuffed her.
But police and easyJet say the woman's claims that she was detained because of the size of her hand luggage and that her identity card was torn by a staff member are untrue. They say she was held because she refused to co-operate with police.
Police spokesman Jean-Philippe Brandt told MailOnline Travel that the woman refused to identify herself when she attempted to check in.
He said easyJet staff contacted police and when officers arrived she refused to show a passport or any other document that would identify her.
She quickly flashed her passport but put it back in her bag, he added.
easyJet says the woman was escorted away because she behaved in a 'disruptive' way toward police officers
Mr Brandt said she refused to accompany the officers to the airport's police station and they had no choice but to 'force her' to go with them.
He said the police officers' handling of the situation is in line with today's state of security at airports.
'We have very strict procedures with people who make trouble just before the plane makes take-off. We have to be very strict concerning all of the problems concerning flights and airplanes.'
Luton-based easyJet confirmed the woman was escorted away because she behaved in a 'disruptive' manner while she was dealing with police.
The airline told MailOnline Travel: 'easyJet's cabin crew and ground staff are trained to assess and evaluate all incidents and act quickly and appropriately.
'We take all incidents of disruptive behaviour very seriously. The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is easyJet's highest priority.'
The woman told Il Mattino she spent almost two hours in a cell and feels she should have received an apology when she was released. She alleges she spent the night in the airport and bought a new ticket for her journey home to Italy.
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