Furious RyanAir flyer abandons trip after racking up ‘ridiculous' hidden fees: ‘I'm not getting my money's worth'
She wasn't going to submit to this fly-way robbery.
An incensed Ryanair passenger was so steamed over the budget carrier's nearly $75 check-in fee that she canceled her entire vacation — and went out to dinner instead.
'What they were charging was really unfair for the job that they had to do,' Hina Muneer, 29, griped to Kennedy News Service.
Advertisement
The fiasco occurred on May 13 after the traveler arrived at London's Stansted Airport in preparation to depart for a five-day solo jaunt to Lithuania. The pharmacist had reportedly planned the getaway to reward herself for passing a difficult medical class.
4 'I went up to her and said 'Are you serious, £55?' I said I'm not going to pay that, and she said 'okay, fine,'' Muneer recalled.
Kennedy News/@hina_st
'It was my first trip in eight months, I just finished my prescribing course and I was going to treat myself, I thought why not,' Muneer declared.
Advertisement
Unfortunately, the traveler forgot to check in online because her reminder email had gone to her spam folder, but she thought she'd be fine doing so in person.
But when the Berkshire resident went to check in an hour before departure, the Ryanair clerk informed her that she'd have to pay £55 ($74.23) per their policy.
4 Muneer went to eat Nepalese steamed dumplings instead.
Kennedy News/@hina_st
The traveler was under the assumption that check-in was free, even though the carrier has had the rule in place for several years and lists the charge on its website.
Advertisement
Either way, Muneer found the penalty absolutely 'ridiculous.' 'I can have a health assessment for £55 from someone with a degree, not for someone to put my passport details in,' the pill hawker declared.
She noted that the fee was nearly 'as expensive' as the flight itself, which cost around $90.
4 Muneer said Ryanair sent her 'an email to check in but it went to my junk and I genuinely forgot to check in.'
AFP via Getty Images
Muneer ultimately decided to scrap the trip as she felt the charges didn't correspond to the service provided.
Advertisement
'I went up to her and said 'Are you serious, £55?' I said I'm not going to pay that, and she said 'okay, fine,'' the incensed traveler recalled. 'I know what you're doing, checking my passport, putting in my passport number and a few details and that is it. The charge in relation to what you're doing is ridiculous.'
'Everything I had booked was refundable anyways, so in this situation I'd rather not,' reasoned Muneer.
After leaving the airport, Muneer decided to treat herself to steamed dumplings at a Nepalese restaurant near her house, declaring, 'My money is better spent getting food.'
4 Muneer has vowed to never fly Ryanair again.
Kennedy News/@hina_st
In light of her experience, the traveler is warning people not to fly Ryanair because its cheap fares aren't worth the terrible customer service and surprise fees.
'People jump on the bandwagon of getting cheap flights and don't realize there's all these hidden charges,' she said. 'There's also the inflexibility of customer service that makes me think I'm not getting my money's worth. It was the right decision, I'd rather do that than take a flight with them, which I won't be doing in future.'
Ryanair reps have since addressed the incident in a statement.'
Advertisement
'In accordance with Ryanair's T&Cs (terms and conditions), which this passenger agreed to at the time of booking, this passenger failed to check-in online before arriving at London Stansted Airport (13 May),' a spokesperson claimed. 'Therefore, this passenger was correctly asked to pay the standard airport check-in fee when checking in at the airport.'
They added, 'All passengers traveling with Ryanair agree to check in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email reminding them to do so 24 hrs before departure.
Meanwhile, the budget carrier warns flyers on its site that 'if you do not check in online up to 2 hours before your scheduled departure time, you may check in at the airport up to 40 minutes before departure, but you will be charged an airport check-in fee.'
'We urge all passengers to check in online before arriving at the airport so these fees can be avoided,' added the website.
Advertisement
This wouldn't be the first time that a flyer took issue with the airline's fees.
In February, a Ryanair passenger claimed she was charged about $63 to bring her water bottle on board her flight.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Skift
a day ago
- Skift
Les Wizzerables
Skift Take Ever wake up in the morning and feel like your engines just won't start? Now you know how Wizz Air has felt every day of the post-pandemic era. Europe's third largest low-cost carrier (after Ryanair and easyJet) just reported another dismal quarter, one much worse than even its official negative 10% figure suggests. In this week's feature story, we explore the key factors causing problems for the LCC and examine plans to get Wizz Air onto a stronger, more strategic, flight path.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
British holidaymakers to miss out on compensation after EU rule change
Britons will miss out on compensation for delayed flights after Brussels adopted a rule change following complaints from airlines. Payouts that were previously triggered by delays exceeding three hours will now only be made after four hours of holdups, European transport ministers agreed. The new regulation, hammered out following a decade of discussions and bargaining over passenger compensation, will apply to all services from EU countries to the UK. For the time being, travellers headed from Britain to the Continent will still qualify for a refund when flight delays hit the three-hour mark, unless they are flying with an EU-registered airline. While raising the compensation threshold, ministers also agreed to increase the minimum level of payment from €250 (£210) to €300 for shorter journeys and to €500 for those above 3,500km (2,175 miles). The original regulation, known as EU261, was passed in 2004 with the aim of ensuring that passengers received money and assistance in the event of flights being cancelled at short notice. Following Brexit, the UK adopted it into law so that the rights of travellers remained unchanged. However, the Government will now have to decide whether to adopt the amendments for outbound flights or stick with the original version. Taking no action might be welcomed by consumer groups but would have consequences for UK airlines, which would be at a disadvantage to their European rivals. It could also affect fares, with Ryanair having claimed that EU261 costs passengers £7 per ticket. Airlines for Europe, an industry group, had pressed for a higher compensation threshold, arguing that extending it to five hours – as originally proposed by the European Commission – would allow 70pc of flights that are cancelled to be rescued. It argued said that airlines inevitably scrapped flights once compensation was triggered, especially since the payouts involved were often higher than the ticket prices charged. It said a five-hour threshold would have made it more practical for carriers to fly in replacement aircraft so that more flights would get away, potentially benefiting 10m passengers a year. A spokesman said: 'Getting to their destination is the primary concern of passengers, even if it means getting to bed or arriving at their holiday resort late. But with a low cancellation threshold it makes more sense to call off the flight and take that hit.' Airlines have also railed against the fact that the compensation applies whether delays are caused by a crew shortage or technical issue that might be laid at their door, or by severe weather or air traffic control issues beyond their control. A number of extraordinary circumstances are expected to be added as part of revisions to 31 different air passenger rights. The revisions must still clear the European Parliament but are expected to become law in the bloc by the end of the year. The Department for Transport said the UK did not have to amend its legislation in line with any changes from the EU, and that any potential future reforms would require careful consideration on their merits, and be subject to public consultation. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
British holidaymakers to miss out on compensation after EU rule change
Britons will miss out on compensation for delayed flights after Brussels adopted a rule change following complaints from airlines. Payouts that were previously triggered by delays exceeding three hours will now only be made after four hours of holdups, European transport ministers agreed. The new regulation, hammered out following a decade of discussions and bargaining over passenger compensation, will apply to all services from EU countries to the UK. For the time being, travellers headed from Britain to the Continent will still qualify for a refund when flight delays hit the three-hour mark, unless they are flying with an EU-registered airline. While raising the compensation threshold, ministers also agreed to increase the minimum level of payment from €250 (£210) to €300 for shorter journeys and to €500 for those above 3,500km (2,175 miles). The original regulation, known as EU261, was passed in 2004 with the aim of ensuring that passengers received money and assistance in the event of flights being cancelled at short notice. Following Brexit, the UK adopted it into law so that the rights of travellers remained unchanged. However, the Government will now have to decide whether to adopt the amendments for outbound flights or stick with the original version. Taking no action might be welcomed by consumer groups but would have consequences for UK airlines, which would be at a disadvantage to their European rivals. It could also affect fares, with Ryanair having claimed that EU261 costs passengers £7 per ticket. Airlines for Europe, an industry group, had pressed for a higher compensation threshold, arguing that extending it to five hours – as originally proposed by the European Commission – would allow 70pc of flights that are cancelled to be rescued. It argued said that airlines inevitably scrapped flights once compensation was triggered, especially since the payouts involved were often higher than the ticket prices charged. It said a five-hour threshold would have made it more practical for carriers to fly in replacement aircraft so that more flights would get away, potentially benefiting 10m passengers a year. A spokesman said: 'Getting to their destination is the primary concern of passengers, even if it means getting to bed or arriving at their holiday resort late. But with a low cancellation threshold it makes more sense to call off the flight and take that hit.' Airlines have also railed against the fact that the compensation applies whether delays are caused by a crew shortage or technical issue that might be laid at their door, or by severe weather or air traffic control issues beyond their control. A number of extraordinary circumstances are expected to be added as part of revisions to 31 different air passenger rights. The revisions must still clear the European Parliament but are expected to become law in the bloc by the end of the year. The Department for Transport said the UK did not have to amend its legislation in line with any changes from the EU, and that any potential future reforms would require careful consideration on their merits, and be subject to public consultation.
