Ryanair couple banned from boarding their flight and left £500 out of pocket due to confusing passport rule
Christina and Cameron Finn travelled with their young son to London from Belfast for a CBeebies event.
Unable To Check In
They had no issues entering England, but on the way back, they travelled via Dublin and were met with a series of problems.
The couple were unable to check in for their flight on the Ryanair website due to technical issues, meaning that when they arrived at Stansted, they had to pay a £55 fee for not checking in online.
Then Ryanair asked for the couple's passports, which were both expired, as they had been waiting for their son to arrive before renewing them.
On their easyJet flight to London, they had used their driving licenses, with no issues.
However, Ryanair staff allegedly refused to accept their driving licences, stating that because Christina is British, she needs a visa to fly to Dublin because the Republic of Ireland is in the EU.
Christina argued with staff that under the Common Travel Agreement, passports and visas are not required by British and Irish citizens travelling between the two countries.
Banned From Flight
However, she claims that Ryanair staff said that she would be stopped by passport control in Dublin who would fine the airline "between £500 and £1,000" for letting her on board without a passport.
The pair, whose five-month-old baby was sick and required medication, were informed by staff that their only option was to buy last-minute flights to Belfast, which set them back £500.
Confusing Rule
Christina phoned her mother to ask her for help with the hefty cost, and her mother quickly checked the government website, where it states that no visa or passport is required by British and Irish citizens for travel between the two countries.
"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", Christina told Belfast Live.
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"She said there was no need for a visa."
However, the embassy worker added that airlines are allowed to impose their own strict ID policies.
Ryanair has defended its actions, telling the Irish Mirror: "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."
Advice for flying with Ryanair
All Ryanair passengers can bring a small personal bag on board but this must fit under the seat in front of you, but it must be no bigger than 40cm x 20cm x 25cm
Any over-sized cabin bags will be refused at the boarding gate and put in the hold for a fee
Ryanair also charges passengers up to £55 check-in at the airport
Anyone who loses their card at the airport will have to pay a £20 reissue fee
Book to sit in the front five rows if you want to head off the plane first
Extra legroom seats can be found in rows 1 A, B, C or 2 D, E, F as well as row 16 and 17 near the emergency exit
The worst seat on Ryanair's Boeing 737-800 aircraft is also 11A because of its lack of window.
The Irish airline added that their terms and conditions state that all passengers must carry a valid passport when travelling between the UK and Ireland.
Christina said that the ordeal made her feel like a "second-class citizen."
Ryanair has been contacted for comment.
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