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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed at Ryanair screwing people over

123 replies

YeahWhatevver · 03/08/2020 20:08

Booked a week in Spain at New year, long before COVID. Ryanair flights and a villa, booked separately.

Have travel insurance which we took out at the same time.

Government puts Spain on the "no non essential travel" list and introduces 14 days quarantine.

Travel insurance is no longer valid as they won't cover any travel against the Government's FCO advice.

Manage to cancel the villa, full refund minus a small admin fee.

Ryanair saying they're running flights regardless, and if we choose not to go then it's our decision to not travel and we won't be refunded. "Use it or lose it" seems to be the stance

I know ryanair have a very poor reputation around customer service but this feels like new levels of contempt for their customers.

Asked if they realise that they will be taking passengers with invalid insurance to be told it's not their problem.

We've decided not to travel, and will speak to our insurer about claiming for lost flights but I wonder how much money Ryanair will keep back from customers.

OP posts:
RigaBalsam · 04/08/2020 10:56

@Freeekedout we are meant to go Saturday so I totally understand. From reading the Ryanair website ( not sure who yours is with) it says to just not turn up.

RigaBalsam · 04/08/2020 10:57

@MorganKitten

Ryanair saying they're running flights regardless, and if we choose not to go then it's our decision to not travel and we won't be refunded

Like you would any other time... they haven’t cancelled YOU have

The government has put a stop to it like a lot if stuff its not quite the same. Hmm
rookiemere · 04/08/2020 11:04

I will if possible not book with Ryanair going forward. But -to be fair to them - they didn't envisage a worldwide pandemic decimating their business, any more than the rest of us.

I love that Easyjet allows you to move flights forward, but am genuinely concerned that they're not going to be around next August which is the date we finally moved our flights to.

I do think that Ryanair does have justification to run flights if some passengers are prepared to travel on them - much as it will leave me out of pocket for my forthcoming- or not - trips.

Freeekedout · 04/08/2020 11:06

MorganKitten We would've been happy to go but we will not travel against government guidelines. Lockdown was only guidelines - but it still meant people were unable to do things they wanted to do. We will not be covered for illness, injury or theft if we do travel and it would be irresponsible to travel without appropriate insurance. The FCO have left a lot of people in a position where they aren't covered, through absolutely no fault of their own. We are an honest, hardworking family who booked a holiday last year with no idea about what lay ahead. We bought insurance that looks like it doesn't cover us. But as the flights are still going we aren't able to get a refund. How is it fair that the chancers who booked in the midst of a pandemic get their money refunded because the flight they were booked on is cancelled? They knew what they were risking and choose to gamble. We didn't.

itsgettingweird · 04/08/2020 11:07

Freeeked isn't there a tummy bug going around your area currently? Wink

Clumsyduck · 04/08/2020 11:13

I Have sworn I wouldn’t book with them again at least three times but always go back due to price / availability . I am part of the problem I know Blush

They are terrible customer services wise tho.

I understand the legalities IE they are running the flight and OP is choosing not to take it .
But what are people meant to do ? Fly knowing there insurance is void ? Ryanair know this is a pretty unique situation the world is currently in and travel for the most part is probably not a great idea but of course they need to make money so it’s the customer who is left out of pocket

Meadowland · 04/08/2020 11:14

@Freeekedout . Well said

itsgettingweird · 04/08/2020 11:16

What out me off and made me glad they cancelled me was ML on TV stating things like "no one will quarantine, government is stupid, people will do what they want" blah blah

I just thought it was so irresponsible not to be encouraging people to travel and fly safely and explaining how they'll protect people (masks, distancing etc) I decided right then I didn't feel safe travelling with them.

UnaCorda · 04/08/2020 11:19

@JuniperFather

Your username is my response.
That's a bit rude and unnecessary. The OP said it was booked before covid, so what's your point?
TimeForLunch · 04/08/2020 11:21

It's still your choice not to go though so I can see why they are not issuing refunds. They want to stay in business!

notimagain · 04/08/2020 11:32

The airlines will fly as long as their is business to be had...and there is business to be had, even at the moment.

Some essential/business users have to travel regardless of FCO advice (they may well be covered for mishap by their employer), many passengers on many flights aren't UK nationals so FCO advice is irrelevant to them..there are of course also Brits who choose to travel regardless of the advice.

Maybe there needs to be another look in the wake of all this at how the Insurance industry responds to FCO advice, since in many cases they're the ones that are indirectly pulling the plug on peoples' travel plans and they are then expecting the airlines to refund the cash..

Whistle73 · 04/08/2020 12:39

Just to update I settled down with a cuppa ready for hours waiting for Ryanair's live chat this morning. And got through immediately!

Asked for a no-show certificate and it was emailed to me half an hour later.

They have gone up in my estimation very slightly.

Thisismytimetoshine · 04/08/2020 12:48

@gogorogo

It's not illegal to travel without insurance, just very ill advised.

Even more so during a pandemic

I wasn't advocating flying without insurance. Just pointing out that it's not the airline's concern whether you're insured or not.
Freeekedout · 04/08/2020 12:53

But it's irresponsible of the big travel companies to send passengers abroad knowing their insurance won't cover them for anything.

MaggieFS · 04/08/2020 13:05

I don't think it is, it's nothing to do with the travel companies how/if their customers are insured. OP paid Ryanair for a flight, the flight is going. OP could take it.

I think the issue is with insurers willing to take the money but have never ending get out clauses.

notimagain · 04/08/2020 14:32

But it's irresponsible of the big travel companies to send passengers abroad knowing their insurance won't cover them for anything.

Why irresponsible...?

The airline/tour operator etc might have a duty of care but I don't think it extends as far as acting in loco parentis for all their customers.

Hoppinggreen · 04/08/2020 14:34

Good luck getting a refund even if they do cancel your flights
We had flights cancelled in June and are struggling to get a refund. They know they have to but they are going to make it as difficult as possible

itsgettingweird · 04/08/2020 15:08

There are many countries airlines don't fly to because FCO advise against it.

Companies stopped travelling to Tunisia when it was a terrorist risk after that awful terrorist attack.

It just seems tourists and holiday companies have this really weird relationship with Spain and it being a necessity to travel there.

But then if I lived somewhere like Germany or Italy I'd be wary about travelling to England right now as I'd see the risks are the same as us going to Spain.

Spain has as many cases as us. People say "yeah well the U.K. is having 900 cases a day."

We are. We also have a population of 21 million less!

Thisismytimetoshine · 04/08/2020 15:21

We are. We also have a population of 21 million less!
Less than Spain? 🤔

itsgettingweird · 04/08/2020 16:19

@Thisismytimetoshine

We are. We also have a population of 21 million less! Less than Spain? 🤔
Yes! Spain's population is 46.6 mil people

U.K. population is 66.7.

Slight typo as it's closer to 20 million.

But it's still a damn sight lower number considering cases are equal.

itsgettingweird · 04/08/2020 16:21

2020 population figures are 67.8 and 46.7.

But I went for 2019 figures because due to current situation likely more accurate

Thisyearcandoone · 04/08/2020 16:27

Can you not move the flights?
We have flights booked to Portugal and that's what we are going to do.
They are a nightmare to get trough to on the phone, but I got through on live chat and they showed me how to do it.

notimagain · 04/08/2020 16:32

There are many countries airlines don't fly to because FCO advise against it.

Just for clarity - the UK FCO rarely directly says to UK airlines "we advise you not to fly to X or Y."...There's probably only a handful of countries worldwide where the FCO effectively ban UK airlines from operating.

What usually happens in the event of a problem in a country (e.g. widespread violence, or a health problem) is the FCO will pass relevant info to the relevant airlines, the airlines take that advice from the FCO and also other sources before coming to a decision to continue operating. One of the factors in that decision is passenger demand or a lack thereof, as I recall it lack of demand in the main caused Uk flights to stop operating to Tunisia (via Tunis) for quite some time, OTOH there's still demand for Spain...

What usually happens is an event occurs that causes issuethere are relatively few countries where the FCO say to airlines "we advise you not to go there" I think in reality what happens is the FCO puts in a travel advisory

notimagain · 04/08/2020 16:33

Apologies for the rogue end para...

afternoon22 · 04/08/2020 16:53

I wish the government would act by setting a deadline for Ryanair to refund everyone entitled to one, after which they would lose airport slots in the UK. I don't expect it to happen though.

A little bit of sympathy for the OP as it was booked before the pandemic, but even so, it has been known for years that Ryanair do not do refunds even for things such as a family member dying.

Never fly with them again. If it was the only way to see a seriously ill or dying relative I would, but not otherwise. I have not flown with them in over 20 years.