A family is in a dispute with Ryanair after being charged £165 for checking in at the airport. Damian Lloyd had checked in his family a month in advance but the barcodes on the boarding passes would not scan, so they had to pay to check in again. Ryanair claims that the family had “unchecked themselves” before flying, justifying the fee. Mr. Lloyd tried to get a refund but the airline refused, so he is now being referred to a dispute resolution service.
Mr. Lloyd, a health and safety manager, booked a family holiday to Gran Canaria in July. He was surprised when he was asked to pay to check in at the airport, as he had never experienced this fee before. The boarding passes did not scan, leaving the Ryanair employee at the check-in desk confused. Unable to phone customer service due to the early morning flight, the family had to choose between waiting and missing their flight or paying for new passes. Mr. Lloyd decided to pay the fee.
Ryanair initially claimed that Mr. Lloyd had not verified his identity, but later admitted this was inaccurate. They then alleged that the family had unchecked the day before their flight. However, Mr. Lloyd denies this, stating that he doesn’t remember going on the website after checking in. Ryanair has referred the case to an independent airline dispute resolution scheme as they cannot resolve the dispute themselves.
This incident adds to the ongoing debate about airline fees and whether they have gone too far. Earlier this year, an elderly couple was charged £110 by Ryanair for printing their tickets at the airport. The couple had mistakenly downloaded their return tickets instead of their outgoing ones and had to pay for airport check-in.
Sources:
– [BBC News](source)