A passenger has been left £286 out of pocket after Ryanair failed to honour a promise of a free replacement flight when her original journey was aborted due to stormy weather.
Aine Donegan was unable to land at Ireland West Airport Knock on October 29, with her flight forced to return to Manchester amid challenging conditions caused by Storm Ashley.
Despite being told she would receive an email with a link to book a free replacement flight, Donegan found herself unable to make the booking when she attempted to do so.
"We boarded a Ryanair flight from Manchester to Knock on October 29," she told The Times. "There was a storm over the whole of Ireland that day but we took off on time."
The flight was supposed to land at Ireland West Airport
Getty/WikICommons
She continued: "When we approached Knock, however, the pilot unfortunately aborted the landing just over the runway and we flew back to Manchester."
She explained that passengers were told they would receive an email with a link to book a new flight free of charge.
"I immediately went online when I got back home and clicked on the link but all I saw was a message saying I had boarded the flight and that was it," she said. After contacting Ryanair customer services, she was incorrectly informed she wasn't entitled to a refund.
"We are £286 out of pocket for the flight and seat allocations for the aborted flight," Donegan added.
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Storm Ashley struck Ireland in OCtober
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Ryanair has since acknowledged the error, with a spokesman confirming the airline had assisted affected passengers from that day's disrupted flights.
"Of all the passengers who have come to us, each have either been re-accommodated on an alternative flight or received a full refund," the spokesman told The Times.
The airline admitted Donegan had received incorrect information from their call centre.
"We regret in this individual case Ms Donegan was incorrectly advised by a call centre agent who wrongly believed that because this passenger had boarded this flight and that the flight had operated, a refund was not due," the spokesperson added.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary
GettyA member of Ryanair's customer service team has since contacted Donegan to resolve the situation.
It comes as the airline has announced plans to scrap paper boarding passes in favour of digital check-ins.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: "Our goal is to eliminate check-in desks at the airport, just like we’ve done with luggage counters. Everything will be managed through the app, making the process fully digital and eliminating paper entirely.
"It also means, once we get everybody onto the app, nobody will ever again pay for a boarding pass at an airport – the airport check-in fee will be gone. So, I think it will be a smoother, easier journey for everybody."
