Ryanair refuses to let family fly over confusing passport rule
Christina Finn, her husband Cameron and their five-month-old son had travelled to London from Belfast for a CBeebies event on 27 May without any issues.
But on their return journey from Stansted Airport, they experienced a series of problems, beginning with technical issues while checking-in online.
Speaking to Belfast Live, she said: 'It wouldn't let me click through to our booking at all and I thought the issue was with my phone so when we got to the airport, we had to check in at the desk where we then had to pay a fine for not checking in online.'
Things took a turn when Ryanair asked for the couple's passports – an Irish one for Cameron and a British one for Christina, which were both expired.
The pair had been waiting for their son to arrive before renewing their passports, and in the meantime were able to use their driving licences as a valid form of identification for their outbound flight on easyJet.
However, Ryanair staff allegedly refused to accept the documents, stating that Christina, a UK citizen, needed a visa to fly to Dublin because the Republic of Ireland is in the EU.
Christina said she tried to argue that under the Common Travel Area agreement between between the UK and Ireland, no passport or visa is required for British or Irish citizens to travel between the two countries.
The mother also explained that they lived in Northern Ireland and regularly travelled through Dublin.
But she claimed Ryanair insisted she would stopped at passport control in Dublin and the airline would be fined 'between £500 and £1,000' for letting her fly without a valid passport.
The couple, who were left stranded with their sick baby who requires medication, were told their only option was to buy last-minute direct flights to Belfast for €580 (£497).
Christina said she was forced to ask her mother for extra funding towards the flight costs.
While on the phone, her mother checked the official government website, which stated that no passport or visa is required for travel between the UK and Ireland for British or Irish citizens.
Christina added: 'I decided to ring the British embassy in Dublin who directed me to call the Irish embassy in London and the woman on the phone was horrified. She said there was no need for a visa.'
However, the couple were warned by the embassy worker that airlines are allowed to impose stricter ID requirements as part of their own policies.
Ryanair has since defended its actions, saying the couple had not checked in online as required and had presented expired passports at the airport.
In a statement to the Irish Mirror, the airline said: 'These passengers failed to check-in online before arriving at London Stansted Airport (5 June).
'Therefore, these passengers were correctly asked to pay the required airport check-in fee (£55 per passenger), however refused to do so, and became aggressive towards the agents at the check in desk at London Stansted Airport.'
The airline also stated that all passengers must carry a valid passport when flying between the UK and Ireland, as per Ryanair's terms and conditions agreed to at the time of booking.
Christina, however, feels the entire experience made her feel like a 'second-class citizen.'
The airline told MailOnline: 'Ryanair does not accept driving licenses as a valid travel document for travel between Ireland and the UK.
'Passengers must present a valid passport for travel which these passengers did not and were correctly denied boarding from this flight from London Stansted to Dublin.'
Meanwhile, Ryanair hit back at a couple who vowed they will 'never fly with the airline again' after their decision to not pay extra to reserve seats ended up getting them kicked off the flight.
Scott McCormick and his girlfriend, Helena Boshwick, both 33, were set to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long break and gym mentorship event.
The couple chose not to reserve seats - which typically costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat - prior to boarding as they 'didn't mind' sitting apart during the two-hour flight.
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