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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how the hell Ryanair get away with such shoddy "customer service"??

64 replies

Topseyt · 07/07/2015 23:57

Tonight my daughter and her friends were supposed to by flying home following a short holiday in another European country. Flight cancelled. No clear reason given.

They have just been herded into a room at the airport (a fairly major European one), told that they cannot be put onto another flight until sometime tomorrow, if then, and left for the night. There are several children on the flight too, including the one year old DD of my daughter's friend. They have no access to water, much less to food. There are no Ryanair staff at the airport (all gone home for the night).

Now I know that Ryanair are a no-frills airline with cheap flights. I am also aware of their reputation for a cavalier attitude to their customers. Can they really leave them without easy access to water though?

Of course, I can find no 24 hour helpline which I can use to try and apply pressure to help them. Anything I can find is either unobtainable or closed.

OP posts:
snowglobemouse · 08/07/2015 02:01

are there no vending machines in the airport?

Suefla62 · 08/07/2015 02:04

Get on social media.

TendonQueen · 08/07/2015 02:06

Publicise it. Tweet or email newspapers and organisations like Which? and see if someone picks it up. I dislike Ryanair myself and wouldn't fly with them, but I have to say the airport is responsible here too - they should not be leaving passengers without access to basic facilities.

CorporationPop · 08/07/2015 03:00

They would not be confined to a room without water. I find that that very hard to believe

Original poster
Topseyt · 08/07/2015 03:14

No. No vending machines, and yes, they are all in a room. Don't know what size. No easy access to drinking water.

I put a remark on the Ryanair FB page, but it seems to have been removed. I don't have a Twitter account, though beginning to think sometimes that I should. Will suggest the idea to my DD though, who does.

We won't take this lying down.

OP posts:
Original poster
Topseyt · 08/07/2015 03:19

They are not allowed to wander the airport at night so can't leave it much. All shops closed so they can't go and buy water at the moment. She said there are no vending machines either.

OP posts:
Iflyaway · 08/07/2015 03:20

That's obscene..... but I'm surprised the airport itself lets this happen.

I flew Ryanair once. Never again.. I call it Cryanair.

Flew regularly with Easyjet (cos of the route I needed) and once the flight was cancelled we were put up in the local Hilton.

I hope you're successful in getting it tweeted.

LadyMaryofDownton · 08/07/2015 04:10

So everyone on the flight is in one big room in the airport?

madwomanbackintheattic · 08/07/2015 04:16

so they have given them the use of a room, for those that don't want to just leave and go to a hotel?
Is there a drinking fountain in the washroom?
I find it extremely difficult to believe they are being held captive locked up in a room. They will have been told what time to come back tomorrow, or that they can stay and hang out where they are.
But yeah, RyanAir is totes crapola. But you do get what you pay for, unfortunately.

SorchaN · 08/07/2015 04:17

Something similar happened to me on a Ryanair flight about twelve years ago. Needless to say, I've never flown with them again.

Hope your daughter and her friends find some water. If I were in your shoes I'd contact the press.

ClaudiusMaximus · 08/07/2015 04:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BitOutOfPractice · 08/07/2015 05:14

Is the flight starting or finishing in the EU? If so, they have rights!

Go onto Money Saving Expert. Or Google EU flights rights.

I tweeted this last week: "I will never ever fly Ryanair again". They are a bunch of wankers

SofiaAmes · 08/07/2015 05:18

Classic Ryan air. I had something similar happen about 13 years ago and never flew Ryan Air again. If you book in advance, BA or Alitalia are just as cheap and much better run and more respectful to their customers.

merrymouse · 08/07/2015 05:22

They get away with it because they are cheap and people keep buying tickets. Customer service is not included on the price.

merrymouse · 08/07/2015 05:23

I think life is too short to travel with Ryan air.

budgiegirl · 08/07/2015 07:18

As long as the flight is coming in to an EU country , Ryanair is obliged under the Denied Boarding Regulation to provide compensation and assistance. Assistance should include refreshments and overnight hotel accommodation .

However they don't have to do this if there have been exceptional circumstances . I think Ryanair have a reputation for stretching what counts as exceptional circumstances

Original poster
Topseyt · 08/07/2015 07:51

Not exactly captive, but can't just wander the airport freely due to security. I presume they are allowed access to toilets (washrooms), but you usually aren't supposed to drink the tap water there.

Local fire service turned up about 3.00 am with some rickety camp beds.

OP posts:
Original poster
Topseyt · 08/07/2015 07:55

Not exactly hotel accommodation then. Not Sure about travel ins. They are students, and Ryanair should have made proper provision really.

If Easyjet can do it then why not Ryanair?

OP posts:
EagleRay · 08/07/2015 07:58

Just had a look on Twitter - quite a few tweets from passengers but no response from Ryanair

Nargles · 08/07/2015 08:01

I got stranded in Malta during the ash cloud and without boring you with the details I know longer fly budget airlines unless it's with my work when I have no choice. In that instance I opted to find a flight back to the uk with another airline and sort out the financial / insurance details later because Ryanair were completely useleless.

LindyHemming · 08/07/2015 08:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaidOfStars · 08/07/2015 08:14

Are/they free to leave the airport?

WixingMords · 08/07/2015 08:26

Well that's mad, being held in a room.

Which airport is it?

Can they actually leave, is it more the case your daughter doesn't know what to do in this situation?

Seems utterly bizarre the water situation.

ribbitTheFrog · 08/07/2015 08:41

Don't they have travel insurance? Wouldn't that cover the cost of accommodation?

I would never fly Ryanair for this reason and tge fact that they are generally crap, I'd rather pay slightly more or not go at all.

Original poster
Topseyt · 08/07/2015 08:52

They are un Berlin, returning to Stansted.

As students my guess is that travel insurance was less on the agenda than having to keep costs down. I suspect that they could have left the airport, but had nowhere to go and would not have been updated regarding another flight if they weren't there on the spot.

Seems like they may have a flight this morning now so fingers crossed. Still shoddy "service" though.

Glad to hear there were tweets. I think she did tweet them. I guess other passengers did too.

OP posts: