Edward Stokes, a 49-year-old business owner from Newbridge, County Kildare, says he is "absolutely disgusted" with Ryanair after being charged £92 for missing online check-in by three minutes and then refused boarding on his return flight from a family funeral.
Stokes flew to London Stansted with his son to attend the funeral of his cousin's wife. He claims both were charged £46 (€55) each after missing the check-in window for their outbound flight. "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."
Charged for late check-in
"We were three minutes late checking in online on Tuesday morning and were charged €55 each, €110 in total. Fair enough, we were late. We accepted responsibility, paid the money and moved on," Stokes said.
However, the return journey was different. Stokes alleges he was refused boarding on his flight to Dublin due to a mix-up over the name on his reservation. His booking listed both Edward and Teddy, a nickname he commonly uses, and he claims he had travelled to England without any problems.
Refused boarding and stranded
Unable to board his scheduled flight, he was forced to book an alternative service departing at 10pm for £300 (€357.57), after an earlier option would have cost around £450. The replacement flight was delayed by approximately an hour and 45 minutes, causing him to miss the last bus home. With no funds for a taxi and nobody to collect him, he was left stranded at Dublin Airport for five hours until the next bus, finally making it home the following morning.
"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," Stokes said. "On my return journey, there was confusion over my booking name, and I was refused boarding. 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?'"
Ryanair's response
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."
