A UK doctor has been hit with a £100 fee by budget airline Ryanair after they missed their flight to assist an elderly passenger who sustained a serious head injury at London Stansted Airport.
A Good Samaritan Act at the Airport
The incident occurred as the doctor was heading to the departure gate for a flight to Pescara, Italy. They witnessed an elderly woman fall on an escalator and, due to their medical training, stopped to provide urgent assistance.
The woman had suffered a broken wrist, deep cuts, and what was described as a 'worrying head injury'. The doctor worked to stem the bleeding until airport staff and paramedics arrived on the scene. Understanding the time pressure, the doctor explicitly asked airport staff to inform the gate about the medical emergency causing the delay.
The £100 Rebooking Fee
Despite the extenuating circumstances, when the doctor reached the gate, it was already closed—15 minutes before the flight's scheduled departure. Ryanair's policy mandates that boarding gates close 30 minutes prior to take-off.
Consequently, the traveller, who was also travelling with a young baby, had to rebook onto a later flight. This meant a six-hour wait at the airport and an additional £100 charge for the new ticket. The doctor later appealed to Ryanair for a refund of this fee, but the request was denied.
Ryanair's Firm Stance on Policies
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Ryanair defended its position, stating: 'It is each passenger's responsibility to present at the boarding gate at least 30 mins before their scheduled departure time.'
The airline emphasised that the passenger failed to meet this requirement and pointed out that 154 other passengers boarded the flight on time. Ryanair's official rules of carriage clearly state that passengers arriving after the gate has closed will not be allowed to travel and must pay the appropriate fare for a later flight if they wish to travel.
This case highlights the airline's strict adherence to its operational procedures, even in situations involving medical emergencies. In a separate but related incident, a photographer named Daniel Sakal, 34, from Essex, also experienced issues with Ryanair after a work trip to Nice. He discovered his £200 bag, a gift from his wife, and its contents, including a drone controller, were significantly damaged, with total damages estimated at £1,500. He was given a bin liner to carry the fragments home. Ryanair stated that baggage handling at Nice Airport is provided by a third-party contractor.
