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Original poster

Paid for seats on ryan air and kids still sat separately

290 replies

Hookahchakkah · 23/07/2025 12:09

Has anyone had any success getting a refund and compensati on.? We paid the extra to ensure we were with the kids all together and they sat all four of us completely separately, not even across an aisle or one row away like five and twenty five rows away from each other

OP posts:
PennyAnnLane · 23/07/2025 19:08

I wouldn’t have been happy about that, I would’ve stayed standing up and made them sit us together or miss the flight window if they wouldn’t sit me with my kids, what if there had been an emergency and you’d had to evacuate the plane, I’d want my kids next to me in that situation.

AhBiscuits · 23/07/2025 19:08

They're a dreadful company OP. They only care about money and make no apologies for it. Keep kicking off and complaining, they need to pay you back.

Paid for seats on ryan air and kids still sat separately
BrickBiscuit · 23/07/2025 19:07

goingtotown · 23/07/2025 18:58

The seat number is on the Boarding Pass.

OP says "At the gate they said these aren’t your seats anymore we have to move you".

Hankunamatata · 23/07/2025 19:05

I refuse to fly Ryanair if u can avoid it at all. Terrible company

goingtotown · 23/07/2025 18:58

The seat number is on the Boarding Pass.

Holiday24 · 23/07/2025 18:54

That sounds really stressful, but doesn't surprise me with RyanAir! They don't seem to care about their customers at all. I have flown with them once or twice in the past but always avoid them now.

Fanxjanx · 23/07/2025 18:50

That is so out of order, I’m sorry that happened to you OP. I’d have been furious having to sit away from DC, especially if you’ve paid for it!

chillycat · 23/07/2025 18:45

If you do get a 'refund' it will no doubt sit in your Ryanair wallet and be impossible to withdraw - round and round in circles for hours and hours until you are completely worn down and depressed.
Would rather walk than fly Ryanair 😏

ThisChirpyFox · 23/07/2025 18:40

OP keep complaining. Threaten to continue to kick up a fuss. Message them directly and about then indirectly but tagging them in on all social media.

Ignore the posters who haven't read everything and say you must have done something wrong.

Like you, I'd have been fuming. Don't stop untill they compensate you.

HerNeighbourTotoro · 23/07/2025 18:34

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 23/07/2025 13:48

Only other thing I wonder is, what was your husband doing whilst you were up and down, running about the plan and begging flight crew?

Maybe he was with the actual kids, just an idea.

Ohnobackagain · 23/07/2025 18:16

@Hookahchakkah this usually would only happen if Ryanair had to swap from say 737-Max8 to 737-800 or similar, which has fewer seats. Or, if the flight was not full, they might not want to use some rows for load balancing. However, I would go on their website and claim a refund for the seats. I’ve done this when we didn’t get Priority which we’d paid for (twice out of many many flights without issue).

notatinydancer · 23/07/2025 18:16

Fupoffyagrasshole · 23/07/2025 13:00

how could that happen - you chose your seat at the time of booking!

You must have messed it up

She didn’t. They told her at the gate they’d have to sit separately.

Original poster
Hookahchakkah · 23/07/2025 18:15

We put the kids together so one wasn’t sitting by themselves. The other one is 13 and probably would have been fine but we didn’t have much time to think about it

OP posts:
StMarie4me · 23/07/2025 18:12

Why didn’t the 10yo sit with you or your DH and the other parent sit alone?

Vargas · 23/07/2025 18:08

OP - I agree with the poster who said to take it up with the credit card company. You didn't receive a service that you paid for.

I flew Ryanair two years ago, one way from France. They were appalling and DH and I vowed never to fly with them again, unless it was an emergency. This thread has rejuvenated my dislike of them.

Original poster
Hookahchakkah · 23/07/2025 18:06

We weren’t late to the gate at all we went as soon as it was called but it’s a tiny airport and so did everyone else. Rather than queuing for half an hour we sat next to the gate and joined the queue when it started moving. We weren’t last there were at least thirty people who came after us but then getting in the actual plane people were queuing closely together and it was so hot we stood back a bit.

I don’t mind them sitting away from me at all but in case of turbulence or one of them being sick I would have wanted to be nearer. The turbulence before landing and the landing itself weren’t great and I wasn’t sure whether to warn them about it or if that would freak them out.

thank you to everyone who has commented, really wasn’t expecting people
to say I must have done something wrong, I don’t know what else I could have done other than pushing to the front of the queue and demanding to be moved but I’d already tried to speak to all the ground staff. Once I got into the plane I thought I would be able to speak to someone’s but underestimated how little they would care.

OP posts:
tilypu · 23/07/2025 18:02

Had you booked exit row seats? I can't think of any other reason that they would have split up a family like that.

GonnaeNoDaeThatJustGonnaeNo · 23/07/2025 17:58

Very annoying and I’d want my money back.

at the same time though a 10 yr old should be able to manage 2 hours on a plane.

FortheloveofCheesus · 23/07/2025 17:58

Were you late to the gate? My only thought is if you are very late to the gate they may have thought you were no shows and made changes to accomodate other passengers

No excuse though.

FortheloveofCheesus · 23/07/2025 17:56

Honestly? Go to the daily mail about it.

spoonbillstretford · 23/07/2025 17:55

TicklishMintDuck · 23/07/2025 17:35

You choose your own seats online, so how did this happen?

Because Ryanair are dicks. Is it so hard to understand?

spoonbillstretford · 23/07/2025 17:53

Fupoffyagrasshole · 23/07/2025 13:37

how old are the kids? a 10 year old sitting alone for 2.5 hours doesn't seem too bad - my step son has been flying alone as an unaccompanied minor since 7

But i would be at the very least looking for a refund on the seats

Edited

Yes, but it's against CAA regulations to have them sat on their own. A parent needs to be sitting a row in front or behind at the farthest. And they paid to sit together.

4forksache · 23/07/2025 17:50

We’ve had ours changed from check in to plane, but I don’t think we’d paid for our seats so we weren’t bothered. But I would be bothered if I’d paid to sit together.

4forksache · 23/07/2025 17:47

I’d be furious!

Tiswa · 23/07/2025 17:47

Normally though they call you to the gate to explain it - happened last year when we flew back on a different type of plane and the exit row was in a different olace so we switched off seats with who had the exit row (if that makes sense)

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