This page is for other people's stories. They are reproduced in the correspondents' own words and reflect their own views only.
If you have an experience of travelling with Ryanair that would be of interest to other visitors to this site, particularly if you had a problem and found a way of getting recompense, please email info@ryanaircampaign.org, stating whether you wish it to be published (anonymously) on this site. For more interactive discussion, there is a new forum (replacing the Yahoo group) focusing purely on Ryanair at http://ryanair.jconserv.net/. All poetry is now gathered at the bottom of the page.
The views, opinions, statements and other written items contained within the following pages are published for information purposes only and are directly attributable to the respective authors of those items and in no way reflect the views or beliefs of, and may not be attributed directly or indirectly to the site host and are published by the host in good faith and without any representation whatsoever as to their accuracy or otherwise. Requests for further information about or comments in respect of any statements may be emailed to the host which may act as a forwarding service to said authors but may not be obliged to reveal to any other person or entity the identity of such authors in any event.
In the threatening letter, it is claimed that some of the stories are false or contain statements which are false. However, despite being asked to be specific and being given the chance to check all stories before publication, Ryanair has declined every effort we have made to identify and rectify anything which might be incorrect.
"Complete" Booking not Gone Through and has to be Paid at Walk-Up Rate
Submitted 23 April 2008
Hi there, I have just sent the email addresses for Ryan Air on your site this email.
I thought it would of interest to other readers on your site:
I was wanting to talk to someone at Ryan Air regarding a flight I made out of Stansted Airport yesterday morning to Newquay and the stressful in counter I had when checking in.
On the 4th April I booked my flight on line with Ryan Air for £20 return to Newquay and I got through the standard form saying:
"Your booking is complete, this is your Itinerary/Receipt, please print this page and bring it with you when you check in along with the required form of photo id, and further down the page I got my confirmation Number: K9EI3A"
When I arrived at the airport the man checking me in said I was not booked on to the flight and told me to go to the Ryan Air booking desk. On arrival there (with no time left to spare for the flight) they advised me that my card hadn't gone through while booking it on line??????
Even though there was plenty of money on our card, so it must have been a fault with your web system, and that I would need to pay today's price for my flight to Newquay which was £300!!!! I asked her if she would please honor the price I had thought the ticket had been booked at, but the lady was not prepared to do that and offered me a letter with a postal address for your complaints department. She also explained this happens all the time to customers and that under the "Confirmation number" it said pending and it should say confirmed?
My biggest complaint is the fact I printed my itinerary/receipt and it told me my booking was complete and I got a confirmation number! And while booking on line it didn't tell me my card hadn't gone through! It gave me a confirmation number?? The pending word under the "Confirmation number is very very misleading" It shouldn't give you a confirmation number at all and it certainly shouldn't say "Your booking is complete" this is your itinerary/receipt
Under the circumstances I would really like Ryan air to Honor my original ticket price of £20 and to please refund me for the rest of the ticket I had no choice in paying. When I got onto the flight it was only a quarter full, I am so upset that they charged me £300 when clearly this is an extremely grey and misleading area.
Flight Booking Error and no way of Checking
I'm an Englishman living in Finland married to a Finn and we relied on Ryan Air's flights between Stansted and Tampere throughout the 2 years of our 'long distance relationship.' I even thanked them in my wedding speech! I now use them to go back to the UK about twice a year . . . but never again!
I booked a return flight April 11th - 93 euros all inclusive. I printed out my receipt and for some reason it said 'pending' under payment. I've waited and waited and had no email confirmation. I rung the Finnish number on the site to find that i'm not even put in a queue. The line just goes dead at once every time.
Moreover, that line explicitly states 'English speaking' which I assume means that nobody speaks Finnish which is obviously indirect discrimination against anybody in Finland over about 40 that hasn't been to university. It would render it literally impossible for about a third of Finns to communicate. This is also true in Hungary and Portugal where the standard of English is notoriously poor.
Anyway, after ten days . . . nothing, and I checked with the card company and no payment had been taken. When I tried to check my flight online it was impossible. It didn't recognise my email address, or my confirmation number in combination or it just sent up a message saying an error had occurred and I should telephone. As I've said, there isn't even the semblance of a Ryanair telephone service in Finland. The line just goes dead. Just for a laugh, I tried ringing the Irish number . . . and was put in a queue.
I have therefore rebooked the flight, for 13 euroes less! I suspect that my earlier flight was never properly booked but I can't be a hundred percent sure and, moreover, it is impossible to cancel the earlier flight - and get some money back if it did go through - because the website won't let me and there's no phone service.
Also, the website went funny while I was using it and my 0.00Euro flight suddenly became 14.99E. You pay for procrastinating at 1am!
I wrote to some of the email addresses on your site, obviously to no avail and was reassured to find, from your site, that I wasn't alone with this happening with regard to bookings online not seeming to go through. The consequence may well be - and they probably know this - that people book twice and are charged twice and, if so, I will insist on moving between two seats throughout the flights!
I will never use RyanAir again even if I'm not charged for the first flight.
The Dispatches programme should have persuaded me but now this, and your site, finally have. Thanks a lot!
Ryanair Forces Change of Holiday and Charges for the Change
Booked a return flight from East Midlands Airport to Riga back in March for June 21-June 26. Flying from EMA is ideal as we're (the four of us) only in Derby so petrol/parking not a problem as we can rely on friends/relatives for lifts.
Rec'd an email from ryanair on Friday 18th April stating that my our flight dates had changed to June 19 - June 26 (still from EMA), unfortunately not all of our party are that flexible and some have to actually work for a living so cannot have the extra time off. Also this puts the cost of our accommodation up by approx £90 (two apartments booked) provided that we can extend our stay over there. Ryanair say that we can have a full refund but of course the deposit of £125 I have already paid for the apartments would be lost.
As the email was sent when it was I could not phone the reservation unhelp line until Monday. Got through on the 6th attempt (5 being the person you called has hung up), when I got through the operator said that if we wanted to we could travel from Stansted as an alternative on the same dates. This would cost around £35-£50 parking and also around 280 miles worth of petrol of course but it seemed a viable alternative.
I said I would check with the other parties and phone back, we said that ok, to save losing the holiday we would do that. Phoned Ryanair today and spoke to two operators (one manager/supervisor) I was informed that they would change our outbound flight free of charge as that was Ryanair's doing but if I wanted to change the inbound one it would cost £128 as they hadn't changed our inbound one!
This was the admin charge for changing and difference in price of tickets. I explained that my holiday was being changed by their doing but they were simply not interested and kept repeating the same thing - we've not changed the inbound one so you have to pay. The inbound flight only cost £140 in the first place so this has virtually doubled it. They kindly explained that they would change the outbound one free of charge so we could leave from Stansted and leave the inbound one as it was therefore coming back to EMA.
I asked if they thought this was a reasonable idea, asking me to fly from London and then come back to Nottingham as then I would then have to drive down to London to pick a car up to bring back again but got no answer. I also got no answer when i asked to speak to someone who could actually be of some help. If I decide on the last option and get a taxi down there it would cost approx £100 so I can't win either way.
Seems the only thing is to cancel the whole thing, lose the deposit on the apartments and visit easyjet.com - by the way, when I asked why the flight had been cancelled they blamed the airport - I have phoned the airport who cannot confirm this. Also the operators seemed surprised when i asked why it was so difficult to get through on the phone. Anyway, thanks for letting me get this out of my system a little, will send you a postcard from wherever we end up.
Can't Get Through, Go to Stansted ...
In February I booked flights for June but forgot to write down the booking reference. However, I didn't think this would be a problem as Ryanair would send me a confirmation email which would include the reference number.
But no email came although the money was duly debited from my account. After trying to phone Ryanair but to no avail, I decided to go to Stansted and talk to somebody face to face. I was directed to Ticket Sales and after quoting my flight and surname I was duly given a print out of my flight confirmation which included my reference number.
I asked what would have happened had I arrived at the airport in June to take my flight but with no flight confirmation printout (and therefore no booking reference number) and was told I would have been issued with a new reference number there and then so that I could board my flight.
Editorial Note: while we hope that this would happen, we can't necessarily encourage anyone to take the risk, given that Ryanair has a record of refusing to allow people to board for apparently unfair reasons.
Therefore, it seems that the reference number is not critical. So just an encouragement to everyone out there who isn't as fortunate as me to live in London and thus can nip down to Stansted.
The biggest lesson of course is to write down that reference number when you book and you can always use it view your flight details in the "Manage your booking" section of the website.
Finally Got Through
Wow! I managed to get through to the booking line today, with not too much waiting.
I did mention that I had been trying from the end of March and had been going frantic ,as I am responsible for a large party booking and wanted to make sure all was in order( at the end of March had received an email with a 'do not reply' saying there had been a change in schedule for our flight in May,but in fact there was no change according to the itinerary and the website).
The person I spoke to said it was a computer error and our bookings were fine (that was all I needed to know). She also dealt with a query about luggage quite efficiently.
However, when I said how absolutely impossible it had been to get through in March when I first received the emails, she made no comment! (I politely asked if there had been a fault with the system, but received no answer). I am sure they have in fact altered their telephone system as there was no menu this time....
Reservation Fee
I flew from Durham Tees Valley airport to Alicante on 3rd April.
On arrival at check in I was held to ransom for a £3.00 reservation fee. (2 passengers - £6.00 in total)
As a frequent traveller by air I did some quick research before booking my flight to determine if both these airports had on line check in capability.
The attached document contains two screen dumps from the Ryanair website that clearly indicates that both these airports do NOT facilitate on line check in.
I therefore require confirmation by email of this request and a refund of £6.
Getting Through to Customer Services (letter to Ryanair and follow-up)
"I am writing to complain about the terrible customer service that I have experienced over the past few weeks and to ask for someont to please help me!
I booked a return flight with yourselves nearly a fortnight ago, payment was authorised (and has been taken from my account) and the flight confirmed. However, due to my computer crashing shortly after it was confirmed I was unable to note down the confirmation / reservation number, but was not worried as I knew I would receive a confirmation email from yourselves as I have done every other time I have flown with Ryan Air.
I checked my email shortly after and had received a confirmation email from the insurance company for the travel insurance on the flights but not from yourselves. So I checked every day since, but still no email.
I have searched your website for some way to confirm my travel itinerary which I am unable to do without the reservation number, which I do not have as it has not been emailed to me.
So I attempted to call your customer services. I must day I have never experienced a more frustrating, disappointing and non existent "customer service" in my life.
I called your 0871 246 0000 number over 50 times! I only managed to get through (to an automated message!!!) 5 times. All of the other times the line went dead or I was told "Sorry, the other person has hung up!"
When I did eventually get through I was given a number of options, and I selected the option to confirm my travel reservation, was told by an automated voice to go online and view it there! But I can't view it online, as I dont have the reservation number! So I called again, and selected an option in which I was told I would be put through to a travel advisor - phew - but then the line went dead and I was told again "sorry, the other person has hung up"!!!!!! SO - I called again and was told I would be put through to an advisor - but was then kept on hold for over 8 minutes with no answer on one occassion and over 10 minutes with no answer on another occassion. I tried ringing over the weekend and was given another number to call - 0905 566 0000, which I have rung a number of times only to get - what a surprise - a dead line - again.
So, I tried to fax you a letter of complaint to the fax number on your website 00 353 1812 1230 - only to get a dead line AGAIN!!
I then found a website created by other unhappy Ryan Air customers who have received the same appalling treatment, and managed to find some contact email addresses which I have emailed a number of times. And guess what? No response!
I have also sent letters begging for some assistance with no reply whatsoever.
God knows how much money you have wangled from me with all these calls I have made and stamps I have bought to mail you - but even still - I have received NO customer service and am VERY unhappy to say the least.
I am now forwarding all documentation onto The Office of Fair Trade and Watchdog as I am fed up of being ignored by Ryan Air.
All I want is my reservation number. You have my money, now please could you confirm my reservation number as soon as possible??
And could someone please call me immediately on my mobile number to acknowledge receipt of this letter and that the reservation number has been sent to me - and to install me with some confidence that you do care about your regular customers, despite your very poor customer services "help" line. It really isn't acceptable to treat your regular loyal customers in such an appalling way."
Update to Story
Following my last email to you, I called another number I found on your website - 0035312497791 - and - you might want to sit down - but I got through to an advisor! After being kept on hold for 22 minutes mind you.
And after all the time, money and complete disappointment - I have finally managed to get my reservation number!
Saying that - with all the money Ive probably spent on calls and stamps etc... I may have well of paid for a private jet to take me.
Lets hope one day soon RyanAir take note of your website and realise what a bad name they are giving themselves - and do something about it.
Thanks for all your help
Rudeness and Inconsistency (letter to Ryanair)
Yesterday I flew from Girona to Liverpool airport with your airline. It was the worst travel experience I have had in all my years. From start to finish it was a nightmare.
Firstly, I feel compelled to inform you of the rudeness of one of the check-in staff. To begin with she was 20 minutes late opening the desk. We were on time and near the front of the queue.
When it was our turn, the case was 1 kilo over the allowed allowance. I had put a pair of shoes in the top of the case just in case, and as we were taking out the shoes we were spoken to very abruptly and told if we didn't move, go to the end of the queue (we were about 8th in a very long queue), then she would call the police to remove us.
We are reasonable people who never cause a fuss and felt totally embarrassed and like naughty school children.
We went to the end of the queue, as requested, and as we waited an hour to reach the check-in desk again, we saw several other people in front of us, being allowed to open cases to remove items, some people were allowed to even put on pairs of jeans out of their cases to reduce the weight of the case. Some passengers were taking hand baggage onboard that weighed more than our case and were not asked to have it weighed.
We understand the need for rules and procedures, but surely these need to be consistently applied to everyone.
When we reached the desk for the second time, the girl told me I had to have my hand luggage weighed as well. All of our bags and cases were under the weight allowance.
We watched as she allowed others to rearrange weight in cases and bags. All we wanted to do was take out a bag at the top of the case with a pair of shoes in, which would have taken 2 seconds!
We eventually reached the gate and after another delay of 10 minutes the gate opened and as our tickets were checked she noticed, the rude woman at check-in had incompetently given me an extra boarding pass. She took it from me as if it was my fault and said she'd been looking for this!
We are frequent flyers and have travelled with many airlines. We have always been treated with respect as a paying passenger should.
I am not against paying for excess baggage or being sent to the end of a queue to sort baggage out; my complaint is the lack of consistency, rudeness and unnecessary threat your staff showed. I feel we were treated very unfairly and that this particular check-in woman needs to be re-trained.
I will think twice before spending my hard earned money on a service which caused me a lot of distress, embarrassment and spoilt which was up until then, a lovely holiday.
Not Allowed in Front Seats
We flew from Liverpool to Pisa via Dublin 29/3/08 returning 31/3/08. We joined the Pisa - Dublin leg late because the airport video screen was down and there were no announcements to find that the first 7 rows were officially unavailable due apparently to "balancing the aircraft (737-800) However the first row soon had 6 people who were apparently "trained" in emergency procedure but who looked pretty ordinary. I'm disabled so when we were at altitude we moved into the empty seats asking the attendant if we could sit there for landing. She agreed but 10 minutes from landing, with the seatbelt sign on we were set upon by an officious purser who threatened to have us arrested if we didn't move.
These seats are apparently left free "by law" but I can't see why. Is there some proper reason?
Newquay Bad Experience
We used this flight to return after a long weekend recuperation in Cornwall. Travelling were two friends, myself and my disabled husband. He had been crushed at work a year earlier and was just beginning to get about successfully with the aid of crutches. At this point I would add we are seasoned travellers to both USA & Australia (11 times over the last 5 years - and once to USA wince my husband's accident)
The 1st injustice was the 5.00 per person airport charge at Newquay Airport - no mention of that enforced charge anywhere, but you could not proceed without it.
The 2nd injustice was the weight allowance of the suitcase - how could I carry two suitcases on my own, plus hand-luggage, plus passports, etc. as my husband could carry nothing other than his crutches! I was charged 72.00 for this suitcase.
The 3rd injustice was going through security - no-one to help at all. I had to manage this alone for myself and my husband who had to hang on to the xray machine itself to get himself through as the crutches had to go through security!
The 4th injustice was the stampede to get onto the aircraft (which was delayed) We had not registered him disabled as he was walking with his crutches and each flight is only limited to 4 disabled per flight and he wanted to travel with his wife and friends(!!) The rudeness of the Newquay Airport staff was quite unbelievable but at this stage you have no option but to accept it or walk.
By the time we reached the aircraft, my husband was exhausted and so was I. His medication was in the suitcase in the hold. However, one of the stewardesses did arrange for him to be met by a wheelchair at Stansted - she was the only kind person working for Ryanair and I am sure if I mentioned her by name she would be repremanded. The whole experience has cost us dearly - almost 250.00 just to get to Cornwall - we could have gone abroad. RYANAIR - NEVER NEVER AGAIN - NEWQUAY AIRPORT - NEVER NEVER AGAIN.
Vouchers Cost More in Phone Calls than they are Worth
After falling foul of Ryanair's telephone booking system, I am emailing to add my experience to others you have already heard. My son bought my husband & myself a Ryanair gift voucher for Christmas & we were hoping to use it to pay part of the fare to Budapest next week. However, it cannot be used with an on-line booking, but only through Ryanair Direct, the UK number being 0871 246 0000, which charges ten pence a minute. I have been trying to ring this number most of today, as they were closed over the bank holiday weekend, with no luck. For much of the time there is no reply. When there is a reply it is an automated message which takes you through one menu into another. On the second menu, there is just a ringing tone with no answer - I have left this ringing for over five minutes at a time - at 10p a minute - with no success. At this rate, I will have spent more than the voucher is worth!
In frustration, I searched the web for any other way of contacting Ryanair and came across a story in the Irish Post describing a similar experience. I want to know if there is any way of obtaining a refund for the voucher and for the wasted telephone calls, or even a way to use the voucher without going through this convoluted system which seems to have the sole purpose of allowing Ryanair to fund its cheap flights through expensive phone calls! Why isn't there a slot on the on-line booking form to allow the voucher number to be entered? Surely this would be much simpler and more efficient?
I have tried emailing Ryanair through the email addresses you provided, but have had no response as yet.
Charged with being French ...?
I have just booked a flight with ryanair using my Nationwide Building Society debit card and was surprised to find that I had been charged one pound twice for a French Debit Card fee. I think it is unlikely that my building society has been taken over by a french bank.
As it is practically impossible to contact ryanair without incurring more costs than the original 2 pounds, I will have to accept this typical ryanair extra.
Has anyone else experienced similar strange extras?
Wasted Time and Phone Bill
Tried 4 times today to make booking. Eventually got as far as credit card number and purchase now. Screen went blank after I had entered c/c details, then pop up to either resubmit or cancel as resubmit could enter duplicate.
Tried for 30mins to find e mail address or phone number. Got phone number, cut off immediately few times then got it ringing. After listeneing to pre recorded message phone cut off again. Eventually got through to someone in Italy who wanted me to book again so I deceide to cancel whole thing and to get on to my c/c company to ensure no funds leave.
WORST WEB PAGE AND SERVICE I EVER ENCOUNTERED!!!!
Wasted time, money and phone calls!!!
Cost of Refused Boarding
I bought a ticket from London to La Rochelle for about 40 £ last summer. I did on-line check-in, but I have entered the number of my previous passport (I have just got the new one about a month before travelling). I arrived at the airport well in advance to avoid problems... that didn't help.
While at the boarding gate, there was no separate queue for Priority (given with on-line check-in), but there were just a couple of families as I was in advance. When my turn came, the person checking tickets and IDs said the number was wrong, I said I had both my new French passport and my French ID card, so perhaps the manager would let me in. I thought, if I was refused to get in the plane, I still had time for a check-in in the airport. But I only was refused to board 1 minute before the plane's door closed!!!
I was advised to buy a new ticket for the next day instead! The manager did not accept to receive any claim. So I lost: the money for the flight to La Rochelle, 1 day of a short vacance on the beach in the sun, I had to pay about 200 £ for a new one-way ticket and also 14 £ for the bus to Stansted and 2 £ for the underground.
Unable to Get Through
In my job I book a lot of flights online and have never experienced this problem before - I tried to make a booking online and got no confirmation and no message came up either.
Tried various numbers - managed to speak to a person on 0035312497791. All other numbers including 08712460000 and 0818303030 do NOT work - they hang-up or go dead.
When I spoke to a person they did not care. When I explained how long I had been on hold they said it was "to be expected." Outrageous.
Disconnected Support Line
On March 13th, I inadvertently booked a flight for March 14th, instead of June 14th, on the Ryanair website.
Ouch. But, my mistake, and I understood that I would still be stuck paying the next-day fare (£200+) rather than the June fare (under £90). Of course, that would involve being able to change my flight.
First, I tried to change my flight online. The June 14th flight not allowed as an option for a date change. Nor June 13th. Nor June 15th. Then, to my horror, as I clicked through every single day - there wasn't a single permitted flight that I saw between March and June.
I then tried the UK reservations number (0871 246 0000), and navigating through menu (change a flight [7]; change a date or route [1]), I was disconnected. I tried again, with the same effect.
I tried a third time, only to discovered that it was now past 5.45, so I could not longer use their reservations line.
I then called the internet support line (090 566 0000), but, of course, being an 090 number, it was barred from my mobile and work landlines. By the time I got to a phone that could call the £1/minute line, it was past 19.00).
Waking up promptly the next day (the morning of the 14th), I tried the internet support line again at 8.00 and was rewarded with a message that they have 'hung up'. Repeatedly. It would ring once, and then click, then the operator's message.
At 9.00, the reservations line opened, and I was disconnected when I went through the menu again (as before). Eventually (by going to 'change a flight [7]', change a name [2]', I got an operator). At this point, I was relieved to only pay an additional £72 to move my flight to June.
ANYWAY, worth noting that the internet support line doesn't seem to work any more. And anyone trying to 'change a route' through the menu will just get automatically disconnected. I suggest the 'name change' path instead.
Denied Boarding Due to Ryanair Delay (letter to Ryanair)
Within the last month, I booked three round-trip flights with your company, Ryanair. You claim that you care about the reputation of your company and it is #1 in customer service in punctuality as well as having the fewest complaints. Unfortunately, my experience with your company does not support this.
Two out of the three round-trip flights I booked with Ryanair were to Riga, Latvia and Oslo, Norway.
I flew from Frankfurt to Riga (Flight FR4372 departing HHN at 8:55 and arriving to RIX at 12:15 on Saturday, 16 February 2008) without any hassle.
Ryanair scheduled the return flight (FR4373) to arrive at HHN at 13:55 on Thursday, 21 February 2008.
This scheduling gave me more than enough time to get to my next flight (FR9828), scheduled with your company, to depart from HHN at 15:25 and arrive at TRF at 17:20 on Thursday, 21 February 2008.
Instead, your company punished me three times for YOUR OWN PROBLEM:
Expensive Web Failure
I am posting a copy of an email I have just sent to Ryanair.
I assume that others have had similar infuriating, and costly, experiences.
Any further advice or suggestions as to what to do?
Dear Sir/Madam
I wish to complain about your website which has cost me over £100, delayed a
planned flight by two days and caused the cancellation of an important
rendezvous with an engineer.
On 27th February I booked a return flight online and received an email
confirmation for booking, number YCF8JK, which cost me £104.25.
I then attempted to do an online check-in in order to save time but despite
managing to get to your Check'nGo page was unable to activate the blue
check-in button. I even tried the reprint button several times but was unable
to get any further. I assumed that as I was unable to access any further page
that a print-out of that specific page was all that was necessary. I was
unable to find any information on your website which would answer my query or
to find a telephone number which was answering other than a premium rate one
at an exorbitant £1 per minute.
When we actually got to John Lennon airport the staff refused Mr. McMillan
access to his flight despite his explaining that the fault was with your
website.
We then had to return home and, as we could not telephone anyone or make any
online enquiry which evinced a prompt response, I had to book yet another
return flight, P8PYYG.
I feel very strongly that we should not be penalised for the failure of your
website to activate correctly or your company's failure to allow reasonable
access to its customers' queries. I would therefore like to receive either my
£104.25 or two more free flights in recompense.
I am posting a copy of this letter on the Ryanair Campaign Org website as it
seems I am not the only one who finds it almost impossible to contact an
actual person when help and/or advice is needed.
Cheapest Flight May Have Most Expensive Extras
Having looked at the new website and supposedly up front pricing, it appears
if you plan to fly on their reduced flight days (Wednesday, Thursday &
Saturday) that it may not be best to pick the lowest flight price.
Ryan Air obviously think customers will always opt for the lowest price,
but having done this on various flights they actually change the fees and
charges per flight as well, therefore what looked a good 99p flight
totalling £26 one way having clicked on the £9.99 flight the fees and
charges were only £9.99 totalling £20 rather than previously set at £25,
just one more con that the airline is pulling that customers ought to be
aware of.
11-Hour Delay (letter to Ryanair)
I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction and dismay deriving from our experience yesterday when intending to fly from Gerona back to London Stansted. We have two small children of 2 and 4 years old and our journey back can only be described as atrocious.
Flight FR9805 was scheduled to depart at 6.30 AM on Sunday 17/02. We reported at the check-in desk at around 5.15 AM, to be told there and then that the flight had been delayed and an 11-hour wait had been indicated. The exact reason was not disclosed, but it appears that the problem was known to staff the night before, as the aircraft had not flown back to the UK.
First of all I am disappointed that we as passengers had not been notified straight away of this delay, when it was clear that the decision to delay the flight had been made well beforehand. You do have our mobile numbers and e-mail addresses. Instead, we got up at 3.30 in the morning, dropped the hire-car off, queued up for check-in, to then be told we would not depart until the evening. By then it was too late to seek alternative arrangements, as for starters we did not have a car, and our luggage had been checked in.
When we requested seats in earlier flights (you had another flight to London Stansted at 14:00 h) we were told that there was no space available on this flight, but we could go to Blackpool or East Midlands instead, and then make our own way to our destination, which as you will understand, it is not a viable option when you are travelling with two small children. But we later found out that other passengers had been transferred to that flight, probably because of their greater insistence or simply because they happened to be at the Customer Service desk at the right time.
Lastly, the lack of information during the waiting period was appalling. We had to queue up at the Customer Service desk every time we wanted to know what was happening. We were not offered any type of support to even cover the cost of food and drink. At one point we were told to be available no later than 1 PM "in case Ryanair decided to divert an aircraft from Dublin", but in the end the long wait was inevitable and we boarded at 5 PM, arriving to London Stansted not much before 7 PM. Never did any member of staff apologise or acknowledge how extremely hard we were finding it, and all that was offered was priority boarding passes. However the cost to us cannot be expressed, as it is not a matter of the material cost in terms of meals, extra parking costs, etc. We purposely chose this flight to allow us to spend the last day of our holiday at home relaxing and preparing things for the next day at work and at school.
We would like to understand - what exactly caused the problem (I think we have a right to know), why was nobody advised beforehand to allow us to chose alternatives, or just plan accordingly? and why was the problem not rectified until 11 hours later? How did you know it was going to take 11 hours? Our view is that not enough was done to avoid disruption to the passengers, and instead the easiest/ cheapest solution was implemented.
We would like to know what you can do to restore our confidence in Ryanair. We would like to keep using your service, but at this stage we can feel only disappointment and anger at the way things have been handled, and we very much feel that some sort of compensation would be fair given the way that we have been treated, not mentioning the extra expense incurred in spending an extra day away from home.
Refund at Last
Today Thurs 21 Feb 2008 I have just received notification from Ryanair that my recent?! claim for a refund following cancelled flight from EMA to Derry following the closure of Derry Airport in May 2007 will now be paid in 5-7 days. I claimed a refund in May 2007 as soon as I realised we were not going to be able to fly into Derry.
This was for return flights for a family of 4 costing over £240, which they have been sitting on now for nearly 10 months.
No Alternatives for Cancelled Flights
I have been one of many complaining users of this crooky airline :
I have booked a flight Brussels-Charleroi to Carcassonne with departure 14 feb 2008 at 15.20 and return on 18 feb 2008 at 17.20
I went to Brussels-Charleroi airport 2 hours before flight check-in and where to my astonishment hundreds of travellers were stranded, due to cancellation of their
flights because of bad weather and fog.
All flights were cancelled the day before as well, according to airport officials, however Ryanair check-in personnel gave no detail of the situation, and no Ryanair flight was due to take-off .
I went to check how to get my ticket refunded or modified for another date, and no one could help, otherwise I would have waited and queuing for hours until late.
I am sure that I am not the only one in this situation, which means that although no flight had left from that airport, but the money received for that flight is kept by Ryanair. This is unjust and fraudulous according to the basic European common law, and therefore not acceptable.
I have tried to call to Ireland customer office but unfortunately with no answer.
I have tried also for 20 minutes to call the belgian number for customer service 090288007, which costs me 6.50 €uros, and to find out that no one could answer.
I believe that this unscrupulous company cannot deserve the right to transport people while ripping them off.
An action should be brought to the European Courts in Strasbourg against Ryanair vilain behavior.
Buy One Get One Free
I recently (January 2008) wanted to buy 2 tickets from Luton to Reus (travel
dates Feb 2008). I noticed Ryan Air was offering buy one and get one
absolutely free. I could not find out how to do this. When I tried to do
this, it was through trial and error that I discovered I had to buy one
ticket FIRST in order to get the booking ref number which I was obliged to
enter into the application for the Free ticket - only to find - surprise
surprise - there was no free ticket available on the dates I sought.
I thought: What a scam!
None of this was stated up front.
Now I was obliged to buy two tickets at the original price or cancel the
first one with the accompanying cancellation charges. This has cost me more
money than I would have spent had I been informed of the facts right
up front.
Customer focus? I don't think so.
I know Ryan Air is cheap but guys, you are taking the p--s and the time is
fast approaching when people will say let's deal with a real airline and pay
the price rather than be left with the feeling that we are being ripped off.
For too long Ryan Air has maintained the position that because they are
cheap - and usually cheapER than other airlines - passengers have no right
to complain. Almost a take it or leave it attitude. I run a business. I
understand margins. When someone tells me pay for check in because of extra
costs - ok. When someone tells me pay for luggage checked in because of
extra costs - ok. When someone CONS me into buying a ticket to get a second
ticket free - NOT ok.
I'm switching to flying to Barcelona - a slight price hike in flight cost -
Easyjet, British Air whatever, same price in car hire and 27 extra minutes
in drive time to my destination. Small price to pay for being treated like
a customer.
Ryan Air - pride comes before a fall - short term greed will be the downfall
of this company. Shareholders take stock - no pun intended - but some of
you may be younger than management and while management bails out with their
loot you'll be left holding an empty purse. Or else you have the same
attitude - take the money and run - let's forget about building a
trustworthy, sustainable brand. How will the history books record the rise
and fall of Ryan Air and your legacy. Yeah - - read your business history
books. If you are a part of this you are accountable. Some legacy.
Marrakech to Luton 1 February 2008
Is there anyone else out there who was supposed to fly on the Ryanair flight from Marrakech to Luton on 1 February, 2008?
I am considering taking legal action against Ryanair because of their failure to offer compensation for this flight, which failed to land at Marrakech, allegedly due to 'extraordinary circumstances', even though seemingly all the other airlines operating at Marrakech that day managed to land and take off.
Any success stories or stories in process? (Contact info@ryanaircampaign.org for a message to be passed on.)
Update 13 February 2008
There's been a strange twist in my story. I received
an email from Ryanair on around the 9th February, informing me that they
weren't willing to offer me any compensation, and giving the usual excuse of
'extraordinary circumstances'.
I was just about to send another fax, even
heavier than my first (venomous) one when, while checking my credit card
statement, I noticed that I had actually been refunded a quarter of the total
cost of my flights.
I'm not sure how they arrived at this figure (maybe it was
the price of the Marrakech-Luton leg (1 pence) plus taxes and charges, but it's
at least something. Another example of Ryanair's bizarre practices. Maybe it
could inspire others to go ahead with complaints (but check their bank accounts
at the same time!)
Diversion to Murcia (letters to Ryanair and AUC)
(Letter to Ryanair)
My wife and daughter were due to fly on Wednesday 29th March to Gerona. At the very last minute having already gone through security, the flight was cancelled due to technical difficulties.
I enclose a copy of your web site information.
Following the cancellation the level of service from your company can only be described as diabolical.
My wife and daughter then queued for some four hours having to recollect their luggage and then go to the help desk to find out what was happening.
They were told of a flight to Reus at 0655 am the next morning or an alternative of Murcia at 1520 pm. Murcia was described as some two hours from Gerona airport.
As they had travelled by rail they stayed at the airport. No attempt was made to offer accommodation, or blankets, food or vouchers of any kind.
At 0430 am they arrived to book on but the flight to Reus was fully subscribed and so they were flown to Murcia on the FR9812. This was an hour late departing.
I had contacted the booking agent and they had no information from Ryan Air of the cancellation.
No transport was available or offered from Murcia to the hotel but an additional days stay at the hotel was booked and a shuttle from the hotel to Gerona for the Sunday.
In total it took my wife and daughter from 20.05 pm on Thursday 30th April until 09.30 am on Friday 31st April (13 1/2 hours journey by buses and taxis).
The risk to their person and the problems of not speaking Spanish are unforgivable on the part of both Ryan Air and Media Travel Services not forgetting the mental stress and the financial cost involved.
I am informed that the hotel food and drinks and accommodation were adequate but there was no entertainment the phones did not work and that the lifts did not work (based on the 6th floor).
I will await your replies in regard to what action I will take next.
(Letter to Air Users Council)
I enclose replies from Media Travel and turn to you for help with Ryan air from whom I have still had no reply.
Due to the effects of the holiday (?), my wife and daughter both missed work on the Monday. My phone bills for the month include several £5 calls trying to contact Ryan air via their numbers.
The affects on my own company was immense. In terms of lost hours it was almost three days worth of phone calls, e. mails and faxes. Due to the broken phones in Spain I did not hear from them until at the airport after the return flight.
I enclose the reason for cancellation from the website and have got most of the bus tickets in Spain but will keep them here.
It is still the fact that they were told it was two hours by Ryan air from Girona to Murcia and the total risk to their safety that most upsets me, along with the total silence from the company.
No paper work or offer of help was made at Liverpool and we were not aware of the law until we read your website.
A holiday purchased for mothers day turned into a disaster that may have been even worse. Anything could have happened in the journey.
The distance travelled is equal to the length of England.
Thank you for your help in this matter.
Vouchers Had to be Used in One Transaction
I was given £60 of Ryanair vouchers as a gift at Christmas.
I needed to go to Belfast, so decided to use them. I went on to their web website and found that I had to call a number to book (10p per minute).
Anyway, Despite the fact I was online at the time and looking at the return flight I wanted and it being available for £10 return I was told it was not available. When I told the person I was online and it was available they suddenly discovered it was available at £10.
Then the best came. I was told that if I did not use the full value of the voucher in one transaction, I would lose the remaining value. I was stunned and cancelled the transaction.
I have written 6 letters to Ryanair with no reply. I have reported it to my local trading standards office and they have been unable to contact Ryanair. I have now raised the mater with my MP. I intend to fight Ryanair all the way on this.
Ryanair Clairvoyants?
I wrote to Ryanair in January 2008 to complain about a cancelled flight which I had booked 6 months prior to the flight. I gave them all the information in my very detailed letter and sent them receipts for the replacement flight and car hire cost necessitated by the missed connection.
In reply to my complaint, Ryanair explained that "there are situations which are outside of the control of Ryanair (extraordinary circumstances) such as adverse weather conditions, unexpected flight safety problems, strikes and security risks that affect our flight operation."
According to a business associate of mine who was booked on the very same flight as me, Ryanair had cancelled the flight 5 weeks after I made the booking, but I never received any notification from Ryanair that this had been done.
How Ryanair could know almost 4 months before the flight was due to take place that there would be adverse weather conditions which would force them to cancel the flight well in advance is beyond me, but when I find out from their reply to my second complaint letter I shall let you know.
Cost of Inputting Error
I inadvertently inputted my wife's first name incorrectly when completing an online Ryanair booking form (through sloppy use of the Google 'autofill' facility, and insufficient care). My wife's first name has come out on the form as my own.
I noticed my error too late and now Ryanair want £70 to alter the name. Is this legal? I set out my case in a fax but needless to say it has not been acknowledged, nor less replied to.
Are there any precedents for how to proceed? Should I write? To whom? Can I 'tough it out' and go to pick up the flight anyway? Can I complain? Any advice would be gratefully received.
Beat them over Split Baggage Allowance
Your site saved my wife a lot of hassle and charges. She recently travelled to Sweden with our 4 year old son.
Given that our son is not yet able to drag a 15 kg suitcase himself, my wife decided to pack one suitcase, tentatively
assuming 30 kg for two people wouldn't attract an excess baggage charge. The uncertainty was stressing her out before leaving
for the airport so I did an internet search and arrived at your site and read a story about not being able to split baggage allowances.
To get around this she packed one suitcase but with half the contents within a strong canvas hold-all. Sure enough,
when she got to the check-in the woman informed her that she would have to pay an excess. To the surprise of the
attendant, my wife, quick as a flash, removed the second bag from her suitcase and checked-in with no problem.
In the case of one parent travelling with a small child, by disallowing the splitting of baggage weight
allowances, Ryanair is effectively subsidising the "streamlined business traveller" at the expense of young families.
Does anyone know whether the staff are on "incentives" with regards to any excess fees?
Was Anyone on Flight FR3013 from Ciampino, Sunday 20 January 2008?
Was anyone else on this flight? It was the disastrous flight from Ciampino (because they were closing) where we were sent to Fiumacino airport (where we had a crew and no plane - as it had landed at Ciampino!!) and then back to Ciampino airport (where we had a plane and no crew and no one seemed to no where we were meant to be!).
When we got on the plane we had too many passengers which added to our delay by one and a half hours. And then when we got to Stansted the pilot went to the wrong parking bay and delayed us by a further 40 minutes. In all this time (12 hours - overnight) we were given one bottle of water, a sandwich and a cup of tea/coffee). I would like to hear from anyone else on this flight to find out whether they have heard from Ryanair or not (probably the latter!!). Please leave a message via this site. info@ryanaircampaign.org
Getting Answer from Helpline
I recently booked (on the 21/012008) two return tickets for travel on 21st
May.
Unfortunately, this being France, my computer crashed just as I
completed the transaction, so I don't have my ref number, now my bank says the
deal has gone through, so far I have received no e-mail confirmation and as
you know it is impossible to find any body at Ryanair to help.
I phoned the Help line at Limoges, to be told unless I could explain myself in better
French there was nothing they could do. I phoned the UK helpline for 20
minutes ,no answer, what the h---l do we do to get an answer? The only reason
we, here in France, use them is because there are currently no alternatives
and they know it
Breach of Duty of Care
Email correspondence that the author had difficulty sending to Ryanair due to the mailbox being full.
Dear Sirs
Thank you for this email. see bottom of this story
I think you misunderstand the nature of my claim.
I am aware that "compensation" under Article 7 of EU Regulation 261/2004 is probably not available to me for the reasons set out in your letter.
You will see, however, from my letter that I was not seeking compensation under Article 7, but to enforce my right to "care" under Article 9.
Just to make the position absolutely clear, the "Article 14.2 notice" you refer to was not handed out to every passenger. My daughter was given a copy quite late in the evening at the information desk, but that was long after I had been given (and given only) a list of local hotels. At the time I was handed this list, I asked if Ryanair would pay and was told that its policy was not to do so (a statement which appears to be inconsistent with your Article 14(2) notice).
After visiting the information desk, I queued for some hours at the ticket issuing desk. When at last I got to the front, I was not offered any care at all, though I was, of course, grateful for the re-routing which was effected.
Apart from what is said in your notice, nothing was said by or on behalf of Ryanair in the way of complying with your duty to provide care under Article 9. Nor was any effort made to provide such care. Your notice did not suggest that it was up to me to ask for it, and in any event when I had asked whether you would pay for it at the information desk, I was told that it was your policy not to pay. In any event, as I said in my previous letter, it was obviously impracticable for you to arrange the necessary care for me and the two girls travelling with me, because the staff were already grossly over-worked arranging re-routing, and there were many passengers behind me still waiting.
There has in my view been a clear breach by Ryanair of its duty to offer or provide care under Article 9. As a direct consequence of that breach, I was compelled to make my own provision and I look forward to the immediate re-imbursement of the very moderate claim I have made.
Failing that, it is my intention to take the matter further. It occurs to me that there were many passengers on the same flight who were in the same position as I was. If my claim is not settled immediately I will in due course be seeking a list of such passengers, so that I can start proceedings as a representative of them all. I mention this to ensure that you retain a record on your computer system of their names and addresses.
Email from Ryanair
Following your recent correspondence to us regarding booking confirmation number PNCBCT.
On behalf of Ryanair, we sincerely apologise for the disruption to your recent flight, which led to a delay in your departure.
Ryanair is committed to providing on time services for all passengers and continues to be the No. 1 on-time airline in Europe, as detailed in audited statistics issued by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
However, notwithstanding the above, there are situations which are outside of the control of Ryanair such as adverse weather conditions, unexpected flight safety problems, strikes and security risks that affect our flight operation.
Our handling Agents at the Airport have confirmed that assistance was provided on the day and that the EU261/2004 Article 14.2 notice was displayed and distributed.
Ryanair took all reasonable measures to avoid the delay of your flight and as EU Reg 261 does not apply monetary compensation for delayed flights, we are unable to offer any further reimbursement.
With renewed apologies for any inconvenience caused.
Yours sincerely,
Ryanair Customer Services.
Poor Reputation Effect on Share Price
I fly between 100-150 times per year all around the world.
This is on a mixture of many traditional and low cost carriers. Without doubt Ryanair is the worst by a long way. Surly rude staff and dirty planes etc. etc.
The Ryanair shareprice has nearly halved in the last year..market analysts and brokers are smart and they know that in the service sector a reputation for poor customer service will negatively affect the long term performance of a company.
It is in Ryanair's own interest to change their approach and operating practices.
Stranded in Venice
Ryanair -You disgraceful company - leaving
hundreds stranded at Treviso Airport, Venice,
after cancelling our 21.55pm flight to Stansted
on Saturday (5th Jan. FR 799) (not for the first time I not now realise)
No thanks to Ryanair we got home some 16 hours
later than expected and must still be amongst
some of the lucky ones. I was in a group of six
friends and had someone not had a credit card
(accepted) to buy alternative flights home we
would still be there now and I guess some still are.
We assumed the cancellation may have been down to
fog but were never told - but the lack of
information/announcements was abysmal. Our only
information after a long delay was to collect our
bags and go to the ryanair kiosk.
There was no
ryanair kiosk of course - just a couple of
unfortunate Venecian airport staff dealing
similtanously with the cancellation of two other
flights to Munich,& Antwerp - with a mass of
people, hundreds, each taking a good quarter of
an hour to be dealt with, a mumbled announcement
at one time gave out only a service telephone
number, if you was lucky enough to have a pen and
paper handy you may well have been able to be
charged at probably £1 a minute to be told you were going nowhere.
Trouble breaking out in the queue after pushing
in was inevitable and after two hours & nowhere
near being seen to, the people at the front were
already being told of only a few seats available
for flight on Monday and later, so what hope for
the rest of us - it was very late Saturday night
with all food facilities closed - taxis were
un-indated, overwhelmed, overcharging, as some
300 people tried to look for alternative
accommodation and ways home.
Our group of six
were advised by the airports info. desk (not by
Ryanair) to try and go to Marco Polo airport
where we may have a better chance of another route home.
The taxi we finally hailed cost 80 euros, and at
Marco Polo airport after trying to sleep on the
metal chairs , found the quickest available
option was with AirItalia 6.55 on Sunday morning
to Rome and then to Heathrow at the cost of over
1,800 euros between us.
We took this alternative as most had to work on monday.
Unable to cancel our Stansted taxi home it had
still gone there. The taxi company told us the
Ryanair web site had not shown the cancelled
flight but as arriving in Stansted a bit later
than scheduled, be it empty, having actually
landed somewhere in Italy about 2 and a half hours from us.
After 2 previous costly run-ins with Ryanair I
had sworn not to use them myself again - but this
was a surprise long weekend xmas present to
Venice from three wives to their other halves &
now Ryanair have lost another 5 customers, let
alone those still at the airport.
System Adds Taxes
I've copied below an email I sent to Ryanair with the help of your website (thank you!).
As I explain, I noticed that they're advertising fares from £10 including all taxes,etc. However, each time I've tried to book (first where I actually wanted to go, then any of the advertised destinations in a desperate bid to see if it was just a big con), taxes and charges were then added.
Is it me or is this false advertising?
Dear Ms. Penston,
I noticed that your website is offering a 'sale' of flights starting from £10 which includes all taxes, fees and charges. However, each time I've tried to book anything within the sale period (London to Carcassonne, return), it adds the taxes and charges to the advertised fare. I've tried 3 other destination just to check, and they all add the taxes and other charges.
Could you please let me know how I can reserve flights at the advertised sale price which includes all otherwise hidden charges?
First Experience of Ryanair Service
Today I realised that in 2008 the world of cheap flights is crazy.
Today on jan 2 2008 me and my partner travelled from bremen germany to stanstead london we had no hand luggage and one suit case. We approached the woman at the ryan air check in desk gave our passports and check in details,i placed the suit case on weighing belt asspecting her to say thats fine but to my amazement she said the case was 5kg to heavy , me and my partner looked at each other puzzelled. We asked how heavy it was and she replied 20.1kg ,i said to the lady but I thought we had combined allowerence of 30kg ,15kg per person and we were 10kg below that weight,she replied 15kg per bag per person and would not let the bag on without removing the extra weight .
I tried to argue the fact that there was 2 of us and we had no hand luggage just this 1 case but got no where fast eventually she suggested that we take some items out and put them in a carrier bag , me and my partner then had to run round the airport looking for a bag we found two and removed dirty clothes from our case ,which at the time we felt very embarresed about,passing through customs waiting to board and on the plane with our dirty smelly clothes in carrier bags .
When we boarded the plane we didnt even get a hello just asked for boarding cards in an abrupt manner ,we found a seat and sat down we then noticed that lots of passengers had large hand luggage some as big as our case ,now what we cant understand is we payed to have the 15kg per person we still took the same weight on board the plane but had to go through the embarresment of getting our dirty clothes out in public ,surely it would have been better to have our weight allowerence in one bag in the belly of the plane then in bags between my legs smelling the plane out.
the staff on board seemed very rude one guy was even chewing gum while he served me a drink ,me and my partner feel disgusted by what has happened and will never fly with ryan air again in our minds a bit of common sense should have been applied.
Currency Conversion
I'm in the U.S. and last month made an on-line booking on Ryan Air for a flight from Stansted to Marseilles. As my receipt\confirmation confirms, the total price for the two tickets was 90.36 British Pounds. A credit card from a U.S. bank was used to pay for this transaction. Because this was a purchase made in a foreign currency (foreign at least to me and my credit card), the normal process is that my credit card converts the 90.36 GBP into U.S. dollars using the market rate for that day and then tacks on a 3 percent foreign currency exchange fee. As most travelers realize these days, using a credit card with a low exchange fee provides the best deal possible for the purchaser. The mid-market rate for the 7th of November 2007 as shown by XE.com ($2.104519 per British Pound) yields $190.16 in equivalent U.S. currency and with a 3% fee added on top, the result should have been total debit of $195.87.
When I received my credit card statement, I was surprised to see that Ryan Air had performed its own currency conversion prior to submitting the charge to the bank. Instead of GBP 90.36, Ryan Air requested $199.04. How they determined this amount is unclear (it works out to an exchange rate of $2.2027 per Pound) but the end result is that they wound up receiving nearly nine dollars more from the transaction ($199.04 - $190.16) than they would have had they submitted the charge in GBP.
While it is true that the net loss to me was only about three bucks ($199.04 - $195.87), the bottom line is that I wound up paying more than the agreed-to price for the tickets. Three dollars doesn't sound like much but if my experience is not unique (and I suspect that it isn't), then Ryan Air has figured out an income stream that over a year's time might result in thousands or even millions of dollars in wrongfully collected profits. Few people are going to check their statements with enough care to see whether the company has done this little trick and if they do, they probably won't bother to complain. The ironic thing is that if someone does try to contact Ryan Air to protest the overcharge, the phone call to their customer "service" line will cost 10 pence per minute (about 21 cents), including the time spent on hold. Brilliant.
If there are any class action attorneys out there who would like to chat more about this, feel free to contact me; leave a message via info@ryanaircampaign.org.
Happy Traveling!
Budget Airline Comparisons
A very interesting web site and it should be encouraged - such class action may have some affect upon RyanAir policies and practices. I flew RyanAir from Stansted a few times - very old & dirty planes (I travel over 100 days a year world wide) and in several instances old Boeing 737's that had all passenger cabin signs in Spanish only (I spent 1 flight trying to uncover and guess which airline(s) had previously flown the plane - with no luck).
All budget airlines seem to have the baggage weight limit policy restriction - you do really have to know and read the small print.
However, there are budget airlines that I would actually recommend.
EasyJet is one - OK, not all flights take off on time, and clearly they don't actually fly to city airports that they imply on their web site, but the planes are clean, even new Airbus 320's, friendly and smiling staff. I took my bicycle from Gatwick to Geneva with them - no problem at all. (Note that baggage damage really is often not the airline's direct fault, it could be the baggage handlers employed by the airport or a service company).
As a family with young adults (not children now) we have flown to/from Canada with Zoom Airlines - they fly older 767's but again, young & friendly flight staff; as well as Thomas Cook (booked through Canadian Affair web site) - older 757's but with leather seats, loads of legroom, had a blast. (We checked in excess baggage knowingly and negotiated a discount as the young adults weight was so low - so if you try to be friendly, you can get some flexibility, I found).
I don't often write to such web sites, but guys, you have a choice sometimes, try the other airlines if you get such bad service. It would be a shame if 1 rotten apple damaged the reputation of all low cost airlines - in my experience, there are good flights. (I don't have shares in any of them, and I have never had a bad flight with Air Canada, that's our national airline).
Refund of Taxes
I found your website after a search on google and have found it an
interesting read to say the least. Recently I booked a flight with
Ryanair, but was unable to fly. As I didn't know when I would need
to travel again I didn't want to change its dates. As the flight was
for a few cents I wasn't interested in a refund or even my card
transaction fee. I just wanted the tax I had paid for travelling. As
You will be aware this was made public on a recent watch dog program
and it said that if you don't fly you are entitled to a refund of the
government taxes.
I faxed them a letter and received the reply saying their costs of
administration we're more than I paid in taxes. The watch dog
program expressed a concern that only a £2 charge should be levied
for such a simple operation, yet they are charging around £15. They
are in-fact holding our money to ransom and making millions out of
this scam.
I would be grateful if you have any further information about this
scam and where I can take my complaint to. After all if we all
complain, things may change and if we vote with our wallet, it will
make a difference.
Debit Charge
Please see my email to Caroline Greene Ryanair.
For all of my flights this year I have paid a nominal charge of £1.40 or so for a direct debit through visa.
For my flights that I have just booked this fee has gone up to a staggering £8.
Can you tell me please if this is correct and if so, why it is such a massive price increase?
Contacting Ryanair about Double Bookings
I've been charged 2 times for the one and same thing as if i was 2 people with the same name and same credit card, going on the same plane, same day, same time.
And not only this once it happened some 4 years ago also that I was equally charged 2 times 600 euro for the same ticket, same day, same time, same name and credit card.
And yes they're very difficult to reach and much of staff are not very service minded but rather rude instead.
Refund of Taxes for Non-Flight
I booked a flight with ryanair for a group of 8 Persons. The flight was Ok.
One member of the group could not take part in the flight, because he became ill. We told this to ryanair 14 days before the flight was going. Just one day after we came back we asked Rynair to refund the taxes which were paid for the flight, which could not be used. ( The assurance will only refund the flight costs, because the aircraft companies don´t pay taxes for flights, which the customers don´t use.)
With several letters and e-mails Ryanair and especially Mr. Phelan from Ryanair refused to fulfil that legal due to refund the taxes, the ill passenger had paid for his flight, in which he could not take part in.
Mr. Phelan from Ryanair argued, that there is a administration charge in case of refunding. One time, this admission charge is € 15, another time it is € 23 and in the summit, he declared the administration charge as 7 X € 15 = € 105, because there were 7 members in the group. (But only the taxes of one member was asked to refund because only one member didn´t take part in the flight. Then Mr. Phelan told us one month later, that the time for asking refund was over. Although we had asked just the day after the return-flight. That was within the week of the beginning of the journey.
It´s not because of the money. The refund, we ask for, is only about € 30. But I don´t want to accept, that this company can refuse to fulfil a legal due. And, beside, we know, that the employees of Ryanair and the employees, who are working in the Ryanair aircrafts have very bad working conditions and are refused to have their legal right to be members of the trade unions and so on.
Phone Cost and Free Flight Vouchers
I have just been reading your interesting site, necessitated by a requirement to contact RyanAir. Jus to let you know that the customer services no. 353 1249 7700 is just a recorded message and after giving a load of useless information informs you to contact them on the listed (ie premium) no - calls cost £1.00 a minute; looks like this route has also been closed.
Thank you for making me aware of the costs involved - I had no idea.
In their favour. I booked flights from Poitiers to Stansted (we live in France) for mid December. Several weeks ago I received an email advising that the route/date had been changed to Tours to Stansted and giving me the option of cancelling and receiving a refund. I selected this option, and within a week the money had been transferred back into my account.
My reason for trying to contact Ryanair is in connection with their Gift Voucher Scheme. I am trying to buy vouchers for the family so that they can come and visit. I booked one voucher online and requested that the voucher be sent to my email address, as I wish to personally hand out the vouchers at Christmas. I notice that the confirmation states 'the voucher will only be redeemable for Ryanair flights where Liz Moodie the lead passenger' i.e me. This is no use to me, as I will never be flying with the family. I now have to try and contact Ryanair to sort this out, or just accept that I'll lose £20 (it may just cost me that in calls). Ryanair does not mention this in the 'Terms and Conditions' related to purchasing the vouchers.
Maybe you'd like to pass on the above info to your readers.
Actually, in view of the prohibitive cost of telephone calls, I think I'll forget it - my family can't afford to pay these ridiculous amounts to redeem the vouchers.
Thank you on a very interesting and informative site.
No Phone Support After Web Error
I just spent the last 5 days trying to book with Ryanair but at the last hurdle (after giving my credit card details) I received an error report and was advised to contact customer support quoting a case number.
My first problem was that on ringing the number I was eventually given a second number to ring which cost about 10 euro just to obtain.
Then the first person I spoke to hung up on me, possibly by mistake (very professional) but what really bugs me was the second person.
I had not even finished my first sentence when she cut me off and told me to "Try the website again". when I pushed on and asked about the 'case number' I was told "I already told you what to do".
I then went on to explain that I had been trying to book for 5 days at various hours but again, no further help. Finally I demanded a supervisor and was asked why. I told this woman that I was not happy with her attitude, assistance or knowledge of the subject. She told me that I could not speak with her supervisor! I then had to ring back to get the supervisor (by lying I might add or I would not have gotten him). He told me to try the UK site not the Irish one as that was the main, primary site. What? Its an Irish company for gods sake.
When that didn't work I rang back and finally someone actually made a few simple gestures to look into it but again no joy.
Now at this stage I'm about 50 euro down with no flight but the really strange thing is that they can go online and do a fake booking (or so I'm told) to verify the site's working and also look at the bookings for a flight but they cannot actually make the booking for you.
Now what the hell is going on with these guys? Had to pay 200 for an Aerlingus flight that was 76 all in with Ryanair but on principle alone I was glad to pay it.
Letter to Ryanair From Travel Agent
Dear Sirs,
I am writing to protest the recent attack on travel agents when Ryanair
head of communications Peter Sherrard referred to travel agents as "the
costliest parasites in the travel industry." As an agent who has placed
clients in the best travel solutions customized for their needs, I take
particular offence. I have found that the discount airlines are at
times, a viable solution for clients.
Perhaps I should thank Mr. Sherrard for bringing the reckless attitude
of Ryanair to light. The attack against travel agents caused me to do
some online research on the reputation of Ryanair. I see in a number of
online posting that the disregard for travel agents seems to extend to
customers as well. Of course, it is difficult to determine whether the
online posting are a fair sampling of the public's discontent.
I don't expect that, as your company views my profession as a parasite,
you will take the time to respond. That would indicate some regard for
the profession, and as tempted as you may be to respond to my letter, I
would suggest that RyanAir consider directing Mr. Sherrard to issue a
public apology.
Travel agents continue to have influence in the passengers' choices for
travel. I have been happy to advise friends, clients and the general
public, often, despite the slur made by Mr. Sherrard, without any
compensation. Unfortunately it is difficult to recommend a company that
has such a blatant disregard for a large segment of the travel industry.
Though you consider me a parasite, and though my postage and time will
never be compensated, please consider this letter as an attempt
demonstrate enough of a regard for Ryanair to say you are in error. I
believe that your offensive statements will do more damage to your
reputation than that of travel agents, which you so overtly despise.
Stranded When Things Go Wrong
Let me start by emphasising I am not morbidly anti-Ryanair. Up until last week I had made probably over 20 return flights with them. The worst that had happened to me was that I had maybe been half an hour late once or my baggage had taken that long to come through. But the thing people say about Rynair is that when they're bad, they're atrocious.
And so it was last week. I was due to fly from East Midlands to Berlin Schoenefeld on Tuesday evening and return on Wednesday evening. We took off fine and it looked like we would land on time, just like the 10 or so other flights I've made with them to Schoenefeld. But then it started to go wrong.
We seemed to have been in the air a bit longer than the journey normally takes when the pilot reported that we wouldn't be landing at Berlin but at Lubeck. The reason given was that one of the runways at Schoenefeld was out of action due to a lights failure and we couldn't land on the other. Why Lubeck instead of other, nearer airports wasn't explained. Strangely the pilot said we were just north of Berlin at the time but there was no banking to turn the plane round 180 degrees, which makes me wonder whether we had been heading for Lubeck from take-off. I suspect he just flew a lot more slowly than usual and went straight there.
Never mind though because on landing at Lubeck the pilot told us coaches were 2 minutes away to take us to Berlin. This seemed strange as it was after 10.00pm and where do you get coaches and wide awake coach drivers at that time of night for a long drive to Berlin? Predictably the coaches took 90 minutes to turn up as they had to come from Hamburg and another six hours to get to Schoenefeld where we finally arrived after 6.00am, over 8 sleepless hours late.
Of course the failure of the outgoing flight from East Midlands to get to Schoenefeld that day meant that there was no return flight back home on Tuesday, and also of course the same happened the following night so that I had no chance of getting home on Wednesday. And as there's only one flight a day to East Midlands and most Ryanair flights didn't seem to landing at Schoenefeld whereas other airlines were managing to come down to Earth there, it would have been a long and probably fruitless wait for the next Ryanair flight back to East Midlands on Thursday evening.
The rumours going round (all Ryanair staff had disappeared when it was finally announced we wouldn't be going anywhere on Wednesday) was that Ryanair pilots don't have licences for the shorter runway, the only one still in use. Someone else said that Ryanair never use reverse thrust on landing, thus making the shorter runway a bit dangerous. Someone else Ryanair hadn't paid for its landing slots. I was passed caring but whatever the reason it seemed only to affect Ryanair's flights. East Midlands wasn't the only Ryanair flight cancelled. Every other airline got in and out though.
This made hanging around to try to get back to East Midlands, Stansted or wherever a bit of a lottery. In any case all Ryanair flights on Thursday were soon booked up despite the risk of going nowhere even then, but I was lucky to meet someone who was in touch with her boss who had booked her onto a Easyjet flight to Luton. She had already been stranded on Tuesday and was now stranded on Wednesday too. So on Thursday afternoon I too went to Luton (£80 plus), then took a train to Loughborugh (£40 plus), then a taxi to East Midlands (another £10) before I was given a lift up the M1. I got home at about 9.30pm on Thursday, not far short of 24 hours late. I'd had about 5 hours sleep in two and a half days, hadn't changed clothes, hadn't showered or shaved and had spent more time hanging round airports than the average plane-spotter. I brought home cold too.
As I said I'm not anti-Ryanair per se and I'll no doubt use them again next year but they really are cheap wankers, that's for sure. I'd like to find out their real reason for taking off to Berlin when they knew they had no chance of landing there. I may try and get compensation, being over £100 out of pocket (the original flight cost £40 but I got about £12 refunded), but part of me thinks I've had enough of them for the time being. There must be loads like me though if they kept transporting hundreds of people a day to the wrong airport and leaving hundreds of others stranded at the right one.
Taxes and Charges
I have just found your web site and although a regular Ryanair customer (through necessity) would like them to be more transparent about their pricing policy.
When I went to book a specific flight that had been advertised at 1p the previous week and had netted out to something like £35, the same flight, still advertised at 1p, had suddenly jumped to nearly £50!
I regret that I cannot give the specific details as it was some months ago, but I was so annoyed that I phoned them and was told that "the taxes and charges can fluctuate".
I queried the fact that taxes must be fixed and it is therefore Ryanair's underhand way of putting the price up, I got no further comment other than a "take it or leave it" attitude.
Won't some other airline please start a regular Stansted to Pau flight??!!
Getting What you Pay For?
"Ryanair - A small price to pay for getting screwed over"
I feel physically, and mentally violated.
I was meant to fly on a Ryanair flight last night from Berlin Schonefeld to London Stansted at 21:55, which was cancelled 10 minutes before departure after checking in - along with another Ryanair flight to East Midlands at the same time. There was no plane at the departure gate, yet there seemed to be no problem with us checking in and proceeding to the gate to board. After being told it was cancelled with no explanation, we were herded back and forward between the departure lounge and gate by the Schonefeld staff who didn't seem that bothered about explaining what was going on. A good 15 minutes later, a guy from the airport spoke up about the situation. Apparently, our plane had gone missing and was unable to land due to "weather conditions" and that we were welcome to go to a desk in the main part of the airport where we could apparently swap our boarding pass for a seat on one of their planes the following day.
"This time, the flight will be free!" he said!
Now wait a minute, but how does the fact that this flight is "free" make any sense whatsoever? The flight I actually paid for has now "disappeared" and the validity of its existence in the first place is dubious to say the least. My money has still gone to Ryanair regardless of the time and day in which I travel, not to mention the 15 euro I paid to "check in" a bag which was never actually checked in. As we made it up past the check in points to book our flights for the next day, we are told that there has been a mistake. There is actually no member of Ryanair staff at the airport, and they don't even have a booking office there! They seem to have no physical presence in the airport whatsoever - 2 flights worth of around 300 people are left stranded, confused, seriously pissed off, and the cold reality of the situation is starting to strike home. Frustration soon builds to confrontation, and it is left to the airport's LUGGAGE ATTENDANT(!!!) to talk to us and answer our questions. Dressed in an over-sized fluorescent yellow waist jacket, her manner is cold and inhuman much like the rest of her colleagues who can't seem to help anyone beyond repeating generic and meaningless information about "weather conditions" and "airport policies". Finally, after a little more digging it is revealed that "fog" was the reason for our flight's mysterious no show.
Fog?
Seems a little odd, because my friend and his girlfriend who actually made it onto their cancelled plane (the Ryanair 21:55 to East Midlands) before being informed that they had to get off it, later told me that "wind" was the reason given for the cancellation of their flight. Now I'm not sure who is to blame for this, Ryanair or Schonefeld, but whoever it is should really get their stories straight with each other before flinging around generic weather terms as excuses. To make matters even more suspect, the Easyjet flight to Luton which left at the SAME TIME seemed to depart on time with no problems. Not to mention the Brussels Airlines flight to Brussels which left ten minutes earlier, the Easyjet flight to bristol 25 minutes earlier, all the flights that arrived at Schonefeld during that time, including the Condor plane which arrived at our departure gate a few moments after we had been taken upstairs for the first time.
One person then manages to get a phone number to call Ryanair on and the Luggage Attendant makes a hasty exit. People's questions about compensation, where they are going to stay that evening and if they will be able to get home fall on deaf ears. Then it turns out that the phone number is actually for a generic call centre, which costs 1 euro per minute to call from a German phone. From an English phone? I don't even want to think about it! The only way to sort it is by going on Ryanair's website and changing your flight that way, which in total will cost around 65 euros...not only this, but there is one computer at the airport which crashed as soon as someone got on it and as we find out later, the Ryanair site doesn't even have any information about the cancelled flight or a way of exchanging tickets. An airport that couldn't seem to give a fuck, and an airline that is non-contactable - hard to tell how this could get any worse really! In the end we decided to further our losses and catch the last S-Bhan back into town and managed to check into a hostel and book a flight with Easyjet to leave the next day at 16:20, adding a further unnecessary cost of 100 euros to our trip. Two of my friends lost a day's work the following day, which leaves them even more out of pocket. And I still don't know what really happened.
Some people may say that "you get what you pay for". This is true, in the sense that you pay for a flight in a small, cramped plane which gets you from A to B cheaply with minimum hassle. I do not expect to pay ANY amount of money to be lied to, herded around aimlessly in a group like cattle, and most importantly, a plane which doesn't even exist and the experience of being treated like a tenth rate human being."
Bags and "Time Saving"
Myself and my family went to Tenerife with Ryanair on the 31st of October 2007 to the 3rd of November 2007. Baggage was 15kg, one of our bags was only 11kg and the other one was 18kg but we still had to pay the penalty fee of 3kg, why could the underweight bag not have compensated for the overweight bag. Another way of making money on cheap flights. Our flight was for 10.45 a.m. as we were told but when we arrived it had been changed to 11.45 a.m. We were not sent an email confirming this change in time, therefore we arrived at the airport extremely early for our 10.45 a.m flight which did not fly out until 11.45 a.m. The seating anywhere arrangement is supposed to save time. We did not lift off until 12.10 p.m. No time saving in this arrangement.
To the Back of the Queue
My family and I returned from a short trip to Costa Brava flying Ryanair to Girona from Liverpool. (31.10.07 - 4.11.07)
Prior to departure date, the return flight times changed 4 times.
Then there was the usual "problem" of overweight luggage. We were told to buy a "Ryanair" bag for £4.50 and paid another £10 to check it in.
Upon return luggage "problem" again at check-in so I quickly took out a jacket and the luggage was then within the 15 kilo limit. But the Check-in assistant refused to let the luggage go, saying we had to go to the back of the queue again. She had a face "like a bag of spanners" as Les Dawson used to say; obviously getting her job satisfaction out of fining people for being a few kilos over the limit. Why are Ryanair's scales different from everyone else's?
What was so awful was the reaction of the rest of the British in the queue. They turned on us like a pack of wolves. Everyone is "brain-washed" into thinking Ryanair is cheap. I don't know anyone who has got a ticket for 1p. Our tickets started off at £6.49 outbound and £14.99 inbound and yet the total bill for 3 of us was over £210 (and that was without their insurance). With the extra paid at Liverpool for our luggage the total bill came to £224.50 for 3. Over £70 per head. Average price I would say for a flight under 2 hours duration.
Despite being accused by the brain-washed British of holding the queue up, it transpired that the plane taking us back to the UK had not even landed when we were in the departure lounge. It seemed it had not even left the UK when all of this was going on. We were, therefore, about 2 and a half hours late with a worrying lack of security once we boarded because the pilot was trying to take off again quickly.
Once on board you are given nothing - apart from a dog-eared Ryanair brochure - which is collected back at the end of the flight. It's a wonder they don't make you pay for the toilet paper you use. The cabin staffs' announcements were impossible to hear/understand.
I'm so grateful we got back in one piece. Conclusion NEVER AGAIN!
Two Flights Out and No Return
I recently booked a return flight Dublin - Bologna with Ryanair (against my
better judgement). Some weeks later, whilst I was away on holiday, I got an
e-mail from them "1st notification of Schedule Change" informing me that the
outbound flight, instead of leaving at 1.30 pm as planned, had now been
rescheduled for a 6.40 am departure. As legally obliged to do, they offered
me the option of cancelling with a full refund. As this time change was
totally unacceptable to me I booked an Aerlingus flight to Venice instead
with the intention of returning on the Ryanair flight originally booked. I,
therefore, clicked on the provided link and completed and submitted the form
requesting a refund for the rescheduled flight. A bit of an inconvenience
but now sorted, or so I thought.
Two days later I received their "2nd notification of schedule change"
e-mail. Same information, same link clicked on, same form completed and
returned. A few days later "3rd notification of schedule change" and, at
the risk of sounding repetitive, I once again followed the same procedure.
Back at work the following Monday morning there still had been no change
made to my confirmed booking for the two flights so I again clicked on the
appropriate link and completed their form, this time witnessed by a
colleague. I took a copy of this form and faxed it to the Ryanair head
office with specific instructions that it was only the outbound flight I
wished to cancel and that at this stage I expected them to give the matter
their immediate attention.
Days passed, no change. I emailed all the customer service e-mail addresses
on your website and again stated quite clearly that I only wanted to cancel
the booking for the outbound flight and wanted to retain my booking for the
return journey. On Friday 12/10/07, I once again received three emails from
them "notification of schedule change" which, interestingly, only had one
link provided and that was to say you accepted the schedule change. I
emailed the same information as before and request for action to
itinerary@ryanair. Finally, on Friday afternoon I received the long awaited
confirmation from them that they had refunded half the fare (i.e. for the
cancelled flight) in full. Just to be cautious I thought I'd better check
my booking again to make sure everything was in order only to find, yes
you've guessed it, that they cancelled the return flight which I had
repeatedly told them I wished to retain whilst the rescheduled flight
remained as a confirmed booking. This means that I now have two flights
booked to Italy on 14/11/07 and none back.
Flight Booking Error and no way of Checking
Submitted 22 April 2008
Ryanair Forces Change of Holiday and Charges for the Change
Submitted 22 April 2008
Can't Get Through, Go to Stansted ...
Submitted 20 April 2008
Finally Got Through
Submitted 9 April 2008
Reservation Fee
Submitted 9 April 2008
Getting Through to Customer Services (letter to Ryanair and follow-up)
Submitted 9 April 2008
Rudeness and Inconsistency (letter to Ryanair)
Submitted 1 April 2008
Not Allowed in Front Seats
Submitted 1 April 2008
Newquay Bad Experience
Submitted 1 April 2008
Vouchers Cost More in Phone Calls than they are Worth
Submitted 25 March 2008
Charged with being French ...?
Submitted 24 March 2008
Wasted Time and Phone Bill
Submitted 11 March 2008
Cost of Refused Boarding
Submitted 15 March 2008
Unable to Get Through
Submitted 13 March 2008
Disconnected Support Line
Submitted 14 March 2008
Denied Boarding Due to Ryanair Delay (letter to Ryanair)
Submitted 28 February 2008
Expensive Web Failure
Submitted 7 March 2008
Cheapest Flight May Have Most Expensive Extras
Submitted 6 March 2008
11-Hour Delay (letter to Ryanair)
Submitted 25 February 2008
Refund at Last
Submitted 21 February 2008
No Alternatives for Cancelled Flights
Submitted 15 February 2008
Buy One Get One Free
Submitted 13 February 2008
Marrakech to Luton 1 February 2008
Submitted 12 February 2008
Diversion to Murcia (letters to Ryanair and AUC)
Submitted 12 February 2008
Vouchers Had to be Used in One Transaction
Submitted 4 February 2008
Ryanair Clairvoyants?
Submitted 3 February 2008
Cost of Inputting Error
Submitted 31 January 2008
Beat them over Split Baggage Allowance
Submitted 30 January 2008
Was Anyone on Flight FR3013 from Ciampino, Sunday 20 January 2008?
Submitted 28 January 2008
Getting Answer from Helpline
Submitted 25 January 2008
Breach of Duty of Care
Submitted 23 January 2008
Poor Reputation Effect on Share Price
Submitted 17 January 2008
Stranded in Venice
Submitted 9 January 2008
System Adds Taxes
Submitted 4 January 2008
First Experience of Ryanair Service
Submitted 2 January 2008
Currency Conversion
Submitted 29 December 2007
Budget Airline Comparisons
Submitted 24 December 2007
Refund of Taxes
Submitted 19 December 2007
Debit Charge
Submitted 19 December 2007
Contacting Ryanair about Double Bookings
Submitted 13 December 2007
Refund of Taxes for Non-Flight
Submitted 28 November 2007
Phone Cost and Free Flight Vouchers
Submitted 26 November 2007
No Phone Support After Web Error
Submitted 14 November 2007
Letter to Ryanair From Travel Agent
Submitted 13 November 2007
Stranded When Things Go Wrong
Submitted 11 November 2007
Taxes and Charges
Submitted 30 October 2007
Getting What you Pay For?
Submitted 8 November 2007
Bags and "Time Saving"
Submitted 5 November 2007
To the Back of the Queue
Submitted 5 November 2007
Two Flights Out and No Return
Submitted 16 October 2007
Checking Back Details
Submitted 3 November 2007
"Free" Flight Voucher
Submitted 2 November 2007
No Priority Boarding
Submitted 2 November 2007
Denied Boarding at Closed Checkin
Submitted 2 November 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Luggage
Submitted 28 October 2007
Buy as You Fly
Submitted 25 October 2007
Unable to Cancel Flight
Submitted 22 October 2007
Warnings About Lost Luggage
Submitted 15 October 2007
No Solution Offered to Get to Funeral
Submitted 9 October 2007
Travelling With Small Children and Bags
Submitted 7 October 2007
Letter to European Parliament about Electronic Commerce
Submitted 25 September 2007
Costly Non-Flight
Submitted 21 September 2007
Response to Costly non-Flight Story
Submitted 6 January 2008
Advice About Cancellations
Submitted 20 September 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Scales
Submitted 19 September 2007
Another Letter to Ryanair
Submitted 17 September 2007
Simple and easy way to get your refund
Submitted 13 September 2007
Excess Baggage
Submitted 12 September 2007
Double Charging
Submitted 11 September 2007
Ryanair Refund Policy
Submitted 10 September 2007
Comment on Previous Complaints
Submitted 9 September 2007
Change of Schedule
Submitted 8 September 2007
Another Letter of Complaint Addressed to Ryanair
Submitted 7 September 2007
Letter of Complaint Addressed to Ryanair
Submitted 7 September 2007
Queuing
Submitted 4 September 2007
Dumped in Lille
Submitted 3 September 2007
Damaged Suitcase and Insurance Claim
Submitted 3 September 2007
Refused Permission to Board
Submitted 3 September 2007
Connection not Covered by Insurance
Submitted 15 August 2007
Ryanair Criticises BAA, but Makes Money from Stranded Passengers
Submitted 13 August 2007
Girona Again
Submitted 12 August 2007
Missed Flight Due to Queue (letter to Ryanair)
Submitted 3 August 2007
Successful Refund
Submitted 25 July 2007
Telephone Number for Ryanair
Submitted 24 July 2007
Baggage Problems (addressed to Ryanair)
Submitted 15 July 2007
Family Checkin Problems
Submitted 11 July 2007
"Barcelona" Airport
Submitted 9 July 2007
Luggage Trouble
Submitted 7 July 2007
Successful Refund Claim
Submitted 28 June 2007
Successful Contact
Submitted 27 June 2007
No Compensation for Nightmare
Submitted 25 June 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Refusal of ID
Submitted 19 June 2007
Sharp Practices
Submitted 15 June 2007
Customer Care
Submitted 4 June 2007
Pay Again or Leave Your Bag
Submitted 1 June 2007
Contacting Ryanair
Submitted 1 June 2007
Sympathy But no Refund
Submitted 31 May 2007
Malfunctioning Web Site
Submitted 17 May 2007
Route Axed After Flight Confirmation
Submitted 10 May 2007
Being Forced to Check in Separate Bags "Reduces Delay"?
Submitted 2 May 2007
Attitude to Mother with 18 Month Old Child
Submitted 30 April 2007
Different ID Rules for Online Checkin
Submitted 30 April 2007
How Can My Mother Fly by Ryanair if She Can't Drive?
Submitted 27 April 2007
Compensation for Broken Bag
Submitted 19 April 2007
Nightmare for Visitor from USA (copy of letter)
Submitted 18 April 2007
Baggage Charge
Submitted 18 April 2007
Refusal to Pay Compensation
Submitted 17 April 2007
Can't Get Letter for Insurance
Submitted 14 April 2007
Good Service
Submitted 12 April 2007
Missing Phone and Illogical Confirmation
Submitted 11 April 2007
Reselling Newspapers
Submitted 10 April 2007
Security Checks and Missed Flight
Submitted 9 April 2007
Online Checkin Printout
Submitted 6 April 2007
Apology over Baggage Allowance
Submitted 3 April 2007
Refusal to Courier Luggage Lost by Ryanair
Submitted 2 April 2007
"Late" Check-in
Submitted 2 April 2007
No Refund for Cancellation
Submitted 30 March 2007
Ryanair Granada to Liverpool cancellation
Submitted 27 March 2007
Calibration of Scales
Submitted 27 March 2007
No Problem with Baggage Allowance
Submitted 26 March 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Customer Service
Submitted 25 March 2007
Dumped in Turin
Submitted 22 March 2007
Security Alert
Submitted 21 March 2007
Email Address
Submitted 19 March 2007
Stranded in Madrid
Submitted 18 March 2007
The Cost of Christmas
Submitted 15 March 2007
"Free Flight" Experience
Submitted 12 March 2007
Missed Confirmation Number
Submitted 7 March 2007
Excess Baggage Charge
Submitted 3 March 2007
Rude Member of Staff
Submitted 13 February 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Compensation
Submitted 12 February 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Changes to Allowances on Return from Poland
Submitted 10 February 2007
Return Flight from Riga
Submitted 6 February 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Cost of Wheelchair Booking
Submitted 1 February 2007
Comment on How Ryanair Works
Submitted 1 February 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Several Matters
Submitted 29 January 2007
Passport Demanded for Internal Flight
Submitted 28 January 2007
Letter to Ryanair About Charging new Tax for Cancelled Flight
Submitted 27 January 2007
Knowing How Ryanair Works
Submitted 26 January 2007
No Option to Cancel Before Extra Fee Added
Submitted 25 January 2007
Refusal to Give an Elderly Injured Passenger a Wheelchair
Submitted 23 January 2007
Refusal to Pay Due Compensation
Submitted 23 January 2007
Ryanair Claims of Passport/ID Validity
Submitted 22 January 2007
Late Credit Card Debits
Submitted 22 January 2007
Exchange of Emails with Ryanair
Submitted 22 January 2007
Lack of Assistance During Cancellations
Submitted 18 January 2007
"Free" Flights
Submitted 15 January 2007
Cancelled Flights
Submitted 15 January 2007
Irish Identity
Submitted 10 January 2007
Baggage Strategy
Submitted 10 January 2007
Military ID Refused
Submitted 10 January 2007
Changing Identity Rules for Return
Submitted 10 January 2007
Ode to Ryanair
Submitted 10 January 2007
Stranded at New Year
Submitted 10 January 2007
Complaint and Response About Priority Booking
Submitted 9 January 2007
Distant Airports
Submitted 10 January 2007
Skiiing Holidays
Submitted 9 January 2007
Forced to Split Baggage
Submitted 9 January 2007
Overbooking
Submitted 9 January 2007
Late Email and Good Experience
Submitted 9 January 2007
Shared Baggage
Submitted 9 January 2007
Overweight Baggage
Submitted 9 January 2007
Budget Travel Experience
Submitted 8 January 2007
Refusing Full Refund
Submitted 8 January 2007
Retrying Credit Card Payments
Submitted 8 January 2007
Letter to Ryanair about Wheelchair Services
Submitted 7 January 2007
Lost Bag Recovered
Submitted 6 January 2007
Point-to-Point, but Selling Onward Tickets?
Submitted 6 January 2007
Seat Loading Distribution
Submitted 6 January 2007
Two Experiences of Good Responses from Ryanair Staff
Submitted 5 January 2007
Sitting With Children
Submitted 3 January 2007
Printing Boarding Card
Submitted 3 January 2007
Advertising Suspended Route
Submitted 2 January 2007
The Cost of Getting Out of Trouble
Submitted 2 January 2007
Ryanair Refuses Other Identification When Passport Stolen
Submitted 2 January 2007
No Refund on Return, When Outward Flight Cancelled
Submitted 2 January 2007
Another Reduction in Service
Submitted 2 January 2007
No Responsibility for Delay Caused by Ryanair
Submitted 2 January 2007
No Compensation For Damage
Submitted 2 January 2007
Priority Boarding Charged For
Submitted 2 January 2007
Penalty for Mistake in Booking
Submitted 1 January 2007
Penalty for Online Check-in
Submitted 31 December 2006
Refund of Baggage Fee
Submitted 31 December 2006
Shared Luggage
Submitted 31 December 2006
No Help With Missing Luggage
Submitted 29 December 2006
Suitcases
Submitted 30 December 2006
Trampled Children
Submitted 30 December 2006
No Compensation
Submitted 30 December 2006
Delayed to Deliver Part
Submitted 28 December 2006
Baggage Sharing
Submitted 28 December 2006
Non-Existent Route
Submitted 28 December 2006
Special Needs Call Costs
Submitted 28 December 2006
Two Experiences
Submitted 28 December 2006
Wheelchair User's Humiliation
Submitted 10 July 2006
Letter to Ryanair from Customer (no reply at 9 July 2006)
Submitted 9 July 2006
Three Experiences from one Customer
Submitted 8 July 2006
Ignoring European Legislation
Submitted 8 July 2006
Long Story of Emails and Legal Proceedings
Submitted 5 July 2006
Contacting Ryanair
Submitted 5 July 2006
£40 for Baby Stuff
Submitted 5 July 2006
Change of Flight Time
Submitted 5 July 2006
Refund of Costs
Submitted 5 July 2006
Excess Baggage
Submitted 5 July 2006
No Telephone Support
Submitted 5 July 2006
Confiscated Burner
Submitted 25 June 2006
Customer Service
Submitted 18 April 2006
Problem With This Section
13 February 2005
Passports and Full Flights
Submitted 13 February 2005
More Good Experience
Submitted 13 February 2005
Good Experience
Submitted 8 February 2005
Passports Yet Again
Submitted 5 February 2005
Passports Again
Submitted 30 January 2005
Early Change of Booking
Submitted 28 January 2005
Carrying Skis
Submitted 26 January 2005
Change of Flight Time
Submitted 23 January 2005
Baggage Limits
Submitted 5 November 2004
More Passport Horrors
Submitted 4 November 2004
Checkin Refused 2
Submitted 30 October 2004
Excess Baggage 2
Submitted 26 October 2004
Priority Seating
Submitted 12 October 2004
Security on Internal Flight
Submitted 11 October 2004
Refund Refused
Submitted 21 September 2004
Airline Employee
Submitted 16 September 2004
Credit Card Charges
Submitted 12 September 2004
Reply to Disgusted
12 September 2004
Disgusted by this Site
Submitted 12 September 2004
Cheapest Flight?
Submitted 9 September 2004
Check-In Refused
Submitted 26 August 2004
Change of Flight Time
Submitted 19 August 2004
Cancellation Still on Sale
Submitted 19 August 2004
Stranded in Sweden
Submitted 20 July 2004
Excess Baggage
Submitted 15 July 2004
Seats and Baggage
Submitted 9 July 2004
Early Check-In Closure
Submitted 18 June 2004
Telephone Charges
Submitted 9 May 2004
Free Flights
Submitted 30 April 2004
Rescheduling
Submitted 29 April 2004
Abandoned in Treviso
Submitted 21 April 2004
Lost Luggage
Submitted 5 February 2004
Money Taken Without Confirmation
Submitted 21 January 2004
"Complete" Booking not Gone Through and has to be Paid at Walk-Up Rate
Submitted 23 April 2008
Submitted 22 April 2008
Submitted 22 April 2008
Submitted 20 April 2008
Submitted 9 April 2008
Submitted 9 April 2008
Submitted 9 April 2008
Submitted 1 April 2008
Submitted 1 April 2008
Submitted 1 April 2008
Submitted 25 March 2008
Submitted 24 March 2008
Submitted 11 March 2008
Submitted 15 March 2008
Submitted 13 March 2008
Submitted 14 March 2008
Submitted 28 February 2008
According to Ryanair's website (http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=cnt&quest=whatishappening), you clearly state the following: "We will do everything possible to get passengers to their destination as quickly as possible". Since this was completely a Ryanair problem, I expect a FULL AND FAST return of the fair I paid for the ticket to Norway in the amount of 45.99 Euros and compensation for ruining my Norway vacation.
Submitted 7 March 2008
Submitted 6 March 2008
Submitted 25 February 2008
Submitted 21 February 2008
Submitted 15 February 2008
Submitted 13 February 2008
Submitted 12 February 2008
Submitted 12 February 2008
Submitted 4 February 2008
Submitted 3 February 2008
Submitted 31 January 2008
Submitted 30 January 2008
Submitted 28 January 2008
Submitted 25 January 2008
Submitted 23 January 2008
Submitted 17 January 2008
Submitted 9 January 2008
Submitted 4 January 2008
Submitted 2 January 2008
Submitted 29 December 2007
Submitted 24 December 2007
Submitted 19 December 2007
Submitted 19 December 2007
Submitted 13 December 2007
Submitted 28 November 2007
Submitted 26 November 2007
Submitted 14 November 2007
Submitted 13 November 2007
Submitted 11 November 2007
Submitted 30 October 2007
Submitted 8 November 2007
Submitted 5 November 2007
Submitted 5 November 2007
Submitted 16 October 2007