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She wasn’t going to submit to this fly-way robbery.
An incensed Ryanair passenger was so steamed over the budget carrier’s nearly $75 check-in fee that she canceled her entire vacation — and went out to dinner instead.
“What they were charging was really unfair for the job that they had to do,” Hina Muneer, 29, griped to Kennedy News Service.
The fiasco occurred on May 13 after the traveler arrived at London’s Stansted Airport in preparation to depart for a five-day solo jaunt to Lithuania. The pharmacist had reportedly planned the getaway to reward herself for passing a difficult medical class.
“It was my first trip in eight months, I just finished my prescribing course and I was going to treat myself, I thought why not,” Muneer declared.
Unfortunately, the traveler forgot to check in online because her reminder email had gone to her spam folder, but she thought she’d be fine doing so in person.
But when the Berkshire resident went to check in an hour before departure, the Ryanair clerk informed her that she’d have to pay £55 ($74.23) per their policy.
The traveler was under the assumption that check-in was free, even though the carrier has had the rule in place for several years and lists the charge on its website.
Either way, Muneer found the penalty absolutely “ridiculous.” “I can have a health assessment for £55 from someone with a degree, not for someone to put my passport details in,” the pill hawker declared.
She noted that the fee was nearly “as expensive” as the flight itself, which cost around $90.
Muneer ultimately decided to scrap the trip as she felt the charges didn’t correspond to the service provided.
“I went up to her and said ‘Are you serious, £55?’ I said I’m not going to pay that, and she said ‘okay, fine,'” the incensed traveler recalled. “I know what you’re doing, checking my passport, putting in my passport number and a few details and that is it. The charge in relation to what you’re doing is ridiculous.”
“Everything I had booked was refundable anyways, so in this situation I’d rather not,” reasoned Muneer.
After leaving the airport, Muneer decided to treat herself to steamed dumplings at a Nepalese restaurant near her house, declaring, “My money is better spent getting food.”
In light of her experience, the traveler is warning people not to fly Ryanair because its cheap fares aren’t worth the terrible customer service and surprise fees.
“People jump on the bandwagon of getting cheap flights and don’t realize there’s all these hidden charges,” she said. “There’s also the inflexibility of customer service that makes me think I’m not getting my money’s worth. It was the right decision, I’d rather do that than take a flight with them, which I won’t be doing in future.”
Ryanair reps have since addressed the incident in a statement.’
“In accordance with Ryanair’s T&Cs (terms and conditions), which this passenger agreed to at the time of booking, this passenger failed to check-in online before arriving at London Stansted Airport (13 May),” a spokesperson claimed. “Therefore, this passenger was correctly asked to pay the standard airport check-in fee when checking in at the airport.”
They added, “All passengers traveling with Ryanair agree to check in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email reminding them to do so 24 hrs before departure.
Meanwhile, the budget carrier warns flyers on its site that “if you do not check in online up to 2 hours before your scheduled departure time, you may check in at the airport up to 40 minutes before departure, but you will be charged an airport check-in fee.”
“We urge all passengers to check in online before arriving at the airport so these fees can be avoided,” added the website.
This wouldn’t be the first time that a flyer took issue with the airline’s fees.
In February, a Ryanair passenger claimed she was charged about $63 to bring her water bottle on board her flight.
English (US)