so if you were the check-in agent, a guy rocks up to bag drop asking to check in his suitcase, he has another piece of hand-luggage and a laptop, and you look up his details and he's on a HBO fare, of course your going to ask him to pay to check-it in. Having not been there and only heard the OP's side of the story, there does appear to have been some communication break-down between the OP and BACF check in agents, but we will never know exactly what was said. The pictures, if the OP uploads them, may clarify how easily the bag was within the dimensions, and if the OP can state whether the laptop was in the bag or not. The OP should also clarify, if he didn't realise he was on a HBO fare, whether he had any prohibited items that he couldn't take on as hand-luggage as well- for example toiletries above the size limit. I find it extraordinary that, if the OP did only have two bags, within size limits and all the other restrictions, that multiple BACF employers would make the same mistake, but you never know.