Ryanair said the captain always intended to stop for fuel. It explained: "Due to 120 knot headwinds and high payload on board, the captain decided to schedule a stop rather than leave bags behind."
As a wannabe, I've never heard of such a practice. Does this happen often? Seems a bit strange to me (miscalculation?) and I would have thought the pax would be briefed earlier in the flight. Or is this typical MO'L corner cutting?