Police called for inability to pay for Pringles

CallMeFlo · 23/04/2025 01:36

That's HER version of events. I bet there's a damn sight more to it. Be interesting to hear the crews version and also what was reported to the police.

FairGoldRaven · 23/04/2025 01:38

disruptive passenger removed

you don’t get removed unless you’re being argumentative

McSpoot · 23/04/2025 01:51

I always love the “I was so humiliated” cries - from people who have ensured that even more people know about it by going to the press.

caringcarer · 23/04/2025 01:54

If she couldn't pay she shouldn't have ordered them.

MayaPinion · 23/04/2025 02:51

I suspect there’s another version of events.

SapporoBaby · 23/04/2025 03:51

@caringcarerthere are many reasons this might happen. She could have needed to move money around but can’t because in the sky there’s no internet.

Ive also had it where I’ve ordered water and then been told they only accept cash or Korean issued cards. Tricky when you’re not Korean…

But I agree with PP, most FAs would try to help or just take the items away when there’s no pay. The police means they likely caused a ruckus.

autisticbookworm · 23/04/2025 03:56

You pay before you are given the item so if it was a simple case of no money they would have not received the item and staff would have moved away, a non event . Clearly they started arguing and were removed due to their behaviour.

RichWithNoSelfControl · 23/04/2025 04:04

The video of it shows her being calm, polite and trying to explain the situation.

Supposedly she opened the items even after the payment failed which is why they called the police. I do wonder why didn't she just return the snacks.

Other passengers tried to help which was refused by the crew, she offered to withdraw money at the airport which was also refused by the crew.

Seems like everyone avoided the easy solution and made it into a big deal. She should have returned the snacks or the crew should have allowed other passengers to help when they offered.

11plusinLondon · 23/04/2025 04:52

I travel by Ryanair regularly (in fact I am typing this in a taxi to Gatwick) and the card machines constantly fail for random people/cards. I also didn’t think they accepted cash anyway (but could be mixing up airlines as also use Aer Lingus/BA a lot).

Definitely seem that this whole situation was unnecessarily escalated.

marcopront · 23/04/2025 05:16

Did they put her in the back of the van or let her withdraw the money and laugh about it.

Both are mentioned in the last article.

WhisperingTree · 23/04/2025 05:53

It has happened to me. It’s in Hong Kong and the place I ate lunch only take cash, payme and AlipayHK. I have visa, Mastercard and Octopus. I was about 1/4 short on the cash. It’s a remote place and the nearest cash machine was 30min bus ride away.

So many places don’t accept our British credit or debit cards. Don’t automatically assume you can pay for things.

The story linked is Ryanair so I know our cards work. But that’s not universal while travelling. After that incident, I made sure to check what payment method is accepted before I order.

Goingoutofmymind25 · 23/04/2025 06:29

WhisperingTree · 23/04/2025 05:53

It has happened to me. It’s in Hong Kong and the place I ate lunch only take cash, payme and AlipayHK. I have visa, Mastercard and Octopus. I was about 1/4 short on the cash. It’s a remote place and the nearest cash machine was 30min bus ride away.

So many places don’t accept our British credit or debit cards. Don’t automatically assume you can pay for things.

The story linked is Ryanair so I know our cards work. But that’s not universal while travelling. After that incident, I made sure to check what payment method is accepted before I order.

How did you resolve the payment in Hong-Kong?

OldCottageGreenhouse · 23/04/2025 09:48

I’m sorry but this thread’s title made me chuckle!

WhisperingTree · 23/04/2025 14:46

Goingoutofmymind25 · 23/04/2025 06:29

How did you resolve the payment in Hong-Kong?

Show quote history

The nice owner took pity on us and let us go. If you know Hong Kong, I was in Shek-O beach and the bus was back to the north side of Hong Kong Island. I took the bus, got the money and came back to pay the restuarant. He was so surprised I went back with the money and gave us a free fresh coconut.

There would have been no way I can pay him. It could be me they call the police on.

samarrange · 23/04/2025 17:21

CallMeFlo · 23/04/2025 01:36

That's HER version of events. I bet there's a damn sight more to it. Be interesting to hear the crews version and also what was reported to the police.

I will guarantee you that there is far, far more to this story.

Clickbait outlets love (often selectively-reported) Ryanair stories because they will get 1000 replies from people saying "Disgusting airline, I never fly with them, they've let me down the last 20 times including last week" or similar. It's kind of like how any story on fast food and obesity always shows the outside of McDonald's and no other chain.

"Murray said she also asked for CCTV footage of the incident, but was allegedly told that the airline could not release the video" — I would be surprised if Ryanair has CCTV that records and monitors every passenger seat, not least because it would be used to bash them further. Maybe the reply was "Sorry, we cannot release the video as it does not exist".

The other day I was on Ryanair and I pre-ordered a G&T (this is brilliant - you can order from your seat before takeoff, or even in the tunnel waiting to get on the plane, and they bring you the drink before they start pushing the trolley along the aisle). It was brought to my seat and they said "We'll be back for the payment in a few minutes", but no attempt was made to stop me opening the little bottle before I'd paid.

When they came back I tried my Wise card, but a lot of the fintech cards don't seem to work in the sky (probably because they rely on instant verification of the balance). I had another card, which worked, but if I hadn't I doubt very much that my ⅔ finished G&T would have been snatched from me. I would have said "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, how can I sort this out?" and I'm quite sure that the crew would have come up with a solution. (The Wise card would probably have worked once we had landed.)

The problem is that some people have no respect for the professionalism of the cabin crew and imagine they can treat them like 19yo bar staff. I've flown over 100 times with Ryanair since about 2007 and while their cabin staff used to be a bit uneven, these days the service is always spot-on.

samarrange · 23/04/2025 17:29

MsAmerica · 23/04/2025 01:26

(But who would travel without even basic cash?)

A Couple Ordered Pringles, a Coke and a Water on Their Flight. Then They Were Escorted Off the Plane by Police
https://people.com/a-couple-was-escorted-off-their-flight-after-failing-to-pay-for-their-usd9-snacks-11711430

Police escort woman off flight after she is unable to pay for Pringles
https://local12.com/news/nation-world/police-escort-woman-off-flight-after-she-unable-pay-pringles-water-coke-airline-cincinnati-ordered-payment-machine-cash-low-money-charge-onboard-crew-stewardess-disruptive-passenger-reports-civil-dispute-action-taken-trip-birthday-celebration-banned

Ryanair passenger humiliated as police escort her off after being unable to pay for Pringles
https://www.irishmirror.ie/lifestyle/travel/ryanair-passenger-humiliated-police-escort-35000911

(But who would travel without even basic cash?)

Lots of people carry literally zero cash on them these days. Our adult DD is one. I can't make myself do it, I always like to have £20 and a few coins, but it's true that some weeks I don't spend cash once.

And in much of Europe it's possible to do everything by card. Germany is the major exception. In Sweden and the Netherlands there are many card-only places. Most European airlines don't accept cash on board.

I recently spent some time in a large European city where the buses only take cash and in the course of a week I saw three sets of UK tourists not being allowed on because they did not have even a couple of Euros on them.

Topseyt123 · 23/04/2025 17:29

There just has to be much more to this.

Very few people get removed from flights unless they are either a) on some wanted list or, b) being total arseholes.

MissAmbrosia · 23/04/2025 20:07

Ryanair don't accept cash on board. I've been to Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Norway in recent years and never had a single coin, did everything with cards. I normally have a few euros on me so not an issue in other EU countries, but I never changed cash for countries that don't accept it.

Original poster

MsAmerica · 25/04/2025 01:39

samarrange · 23/04/2025 17:29

(But who would travel without even basic cash?)

Lots of people carry literally zero cash on them these days. Our adult DD is one. I can't make myself do it, I always like to have £20 and a few coins, but it's true that some weeks I don't spend cash once.

And in much of Europe it's possible to do everything by card. Germany is the major exception. In Sweden and the Netherlands there are many card-only places. Most European airlines don't accept cash on board.

I recently spent some time in a large European city where the buses only take cash and in the course of a week I saw three sets of UK tourists not being allowed on because they did not have even a couple of Euros on them.

Edited

Show quote history

That's crazy to me. Were you ladies not exposed to the concept of "mad money" when young?
And do people not understand that every credit card purchase means that an extra 2%-4% is skimmed off, leading to higher prices?

OP posts:

Original poster

MsAmerica · 25/04/2025 01:42

samarrange · 23/04/2025 17:21

I will guarantee you that there is far, far more to this story.

Clickbait outlets love (often selectively-reported) Ryanair stories because they will get 1000 replies from people saying "Disgusting airline, I never fly with them, they've let me down the last 20 times including last week" or similar. It's kind of like how any story on fast food and obesity always shows the outside of McDonald's and no other chain.

"Murray said she also asked for CCTV footage of the incident, but was allegedly told that the airline could not release the video" — I would be surprised if Ryanair has CCTV that records and monitors every passenger seat, not least because it would be used to bash them further. Maybe the reply was "Sorry, we cannot release the video as it does not exist".

The other day I was on Ryanair and I pre-ordered a G&T (this is brilliant - you can order from your seat before takeoff, or even in the tunnel waiting to get on the plane, and they bring you the drink before they start pushing the trolley along the aisle). It was brought to my seat and they said "We'll be back for the payment in a few minutes", but no attempt was made to stop me opening the little bottle before I'd paid.

When they came back I tried my Wise card, but a lot of the fintech cards don't seem to work in the sky (probably because they rely on instant verification of the balance). I had another card, which worked, but if I hadn't I doubt very much that my ⅔ finished G&T would have been snatched from me. I would have said "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, how can I sort this out?" and I'm quite sure that the crew would have come up with a solution. (The Wise card would probably have worked once we had landed.)

The problem is that some people have no respect for the professionalism of the cabin crew and imagine they can treat them like 19yo bar staff. I've flown over 100 times with Ryanair since about 2007 and while their cabin staff used to be a bit uneven, these days the service is always spot-on.

Show quote history

Speaking as someone whose first experience of flying alone was at the age of about seven, although I shouldn't comment on the professionalism of the cabin crew, I can certainly say there has been a marked decline in courtesy.

OP posts: