How Ryanair's Airport Check-In Fee Left a Family from Neath in South Wales Out of Pocket
Key Highlights :
Damian Lloyd, a 50-year-old man from Neath in South Wales, had booked a 10-day holiday for himself and his family to Gran Canaria in July. A month before the flight, he had checked in and printed off the boarding passes, but upon arrival at the airport, the barcodes would not scan. The family was then charged £165 by Ryanair to check in, a fee Mr Lloyd had never encountered before.
Mr Lloyd tried to claim the money back after the incident, but Ryanair said that he had unchecked himself before the flight and so the fee was justified. After weeks of email exchanges, the airline has now referred Mr Lloyd to a dispute resolution service.
Recounting his experience at the airport to the BBC, Mr Lloyd said: "He (employee at the airport) looked on the computer, and our names and seat numbers came up. But for some reason [the boarding passes] weren't scanning. He didn't know why." As the next flights were three days away, Mr Lloyd decided to pay the £165.
Customer service first told Mr Lloyd he had not verified his identity, but later agreed this was "inaccurate". They then told him he had unchecked the day before his flight. "Ryanair came up with every excuse under the sun," Mr Lloyd said.
A spokesperson for Ryanair told the BBC: "[The family] unchecked themselves on the website on 22 July and ignored the pop-up that warned them they would have to check in again and generate new boarding passes. As they didn't have valid boarding passes, they were correctly charged the airport check-in fee."
Ryanair has now referred Mr Lloyd to AviationADR, an independent airline dispute resolution scheme. This latest row comes after an elderly couple were charged £110 by Ryanair to print their tickets at the airport recently.
The incident is a reminder to all travellers that it is important to double-check all details before travelling and to be aware of the fees charged by airlines for airport check-in. Being aware of the fees and understanding the terms and conditions of each airline can help to avoid any unwanted surprises at the airport.
Ryanair has come under fire in recent months for their customer service and the fees they charge. It is important for them to ensure that customers are aware of all fees and that customers receive a fair resolution to any issues they may face.
For Mr Lloyd, he is now in the hands of the dispute resolution service and it remains to be seen if he will receive a refund for the £165 he was charged.
In the meantime, he hopes that his story will serve as a warning to other travellers to be aware of the fees charged by airlines and to check and double-check all details before travelling.
