The business owner says he almost always flies Ryanair – but is very disappointed with the flight he has just had
Edward Stokes says he flies with Ryanair all the time
A Ryanair passenger from Ireland says he is ‘absolutely disgusted’ with the airline after a flight for a family funeral. Edward Stokes had travelled from Dublin to London Stansted with his son to attend the funeral of his cousin’s wife.
He says what should have been a moving family gathering turned into a travel ordeal when the 49 year old claims he encountered problems with his booking on the return journey last week. Edward says he and his son were each given a €55 fee after missing the online check-in deadline by three minutes for their outbound flight. But he says what happened on the return flight infuriated him.
“I’m absolutely disgusted by how we were treated,” said Edward. “I’ve been a loyal Ryanair customer for years.
“In fact, Ryanair is practically the only airline my family and I ever use. But after what happened to me this week, I am absolutely shocked and disgusted.
“We were three minutes late checking in online on Tuesday morning and were charged €55 each, €110 in total. Fair enough, we were late.
Edward Stokes says he is ‘disgusted’ with the way he was treated
“We accepted responsibility, paid the money and moved on. But what happened on the way home was a completely different story.”
Edward says he was denied boarding on his return flight to Dublin owing to confusion over the name on his reservation. His booking showed both Edward and Teddy – a nickname he regularly goes by – and he maintains he had been allowed to travel to England without any issues, reports the Mirror.
Unable to catch his scheduled flight, he claims he was forced to arrange an alternative service departing at 10pm for €357.57, after an earlier option would have cost him about €536. However, he maintains his journey home was far from smooth.
Mr Stokes says the replacement flight was delayed by roughly an hour and 45 minutes, causing him to miss the final bus home. Without money for a taxi and nobody available to pick him up, he says he was left stranded at Dublin Airport for five hours until the next bus, eventually arriving home the following morning.
Edward, a blinds and carpets business owner from Newbridge, County Kildare, said: “I’ve been known as Teddy all my life. On the way over, my booking included Edward Teddy Stokes, and Ryanair allowed me to travel without any problem.
“On my return journey, there was confusion over my booking name, and I was refused boarding. I explained the situation to the Ryanair staff member.
“I explained that I had just attended one of the saddest funerals of my life and was simply trying to get home to my family. Her response?
“‘That’s not my problem. What do you want me to do about it?’ I couldn’t believe the attitude.
“There was absolutely no compassion, understanding or willingness to help. We have no problem accepting responsibility when I’m wrong.
Edward Stokes
“We were three minutes late checking in, and we paid the money. But where is the same accountability when an airline causes passengers serious inconvenience? What hurt me most wasn’t even the money.
“It was the way I was spoken to, the complete lack of compassion and the feeling that we were treated like we didn’t matter.. “Nobody should be spoken to or treated like that.
“All I wanted was to attend a family funeral, support my cousin and get home safely. I was absolutely exhausted.
“Between the sadness of the funeral and everything that happened with my flights, it’s been a very difficult and emotional week for me. Ryanair, is this really how you treat loyal customers?”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “The first and surname on a passenger’s booking must match the first and surname on their travel documents. The passport that Mr Stokes presented at the boarding gate in Stansted did not match the first name on his booking for this Stansted to Dublin flight (14 October). Ryanair offers passengers a 24-hour grace period to correct minor spelling errors on bookings free of charge or full name changes up to two hours before scheduled departure (subject to a fee).
“Unfortunately, Mr. Stokes did not avail of either option and presented at the boarding gate in Stansted with a passport that did not match the name on his booking.” For further details on names on travel documents, visit the dedicated section on the Ryanair website.