- Elderly Couple Hit with Unexpected Charges: Ryanair Charges £110 to Print Tickets at Airport
- Confusion and Outrage: Social Media Backlash and Flurry of Complaints Over Airline’s Fees
- Consumer Rights Expert Weighs In: Concerns Raised About Unfair Fees and the Impact on Passengers
An elderly couple was “horrified” when Ryanair charged them £110 to print their tickets at the airport, they said.
Ruth and Peter Jaffe were informed that they were required to pay airport check-in fees after downloading their return tickets instead of their outgoing tickets.
It prompted a flurry of complaints on social media about the airline’s surcharges.
Ryanair stated that the fees were by its policy because the couple had not checked in online for the proper flight.
However, consumer rights expert Martyn James stated that the couple’s experience had “touched a nerve” because many other individuals have also been subjected to unexpected fees.
Friday, the Jaffes from Ealing flew from Stansted Airport to Bergerac, France.
Mrs. Jaffe, age 79, reported that she found Ryanair’s website “very confusing” Despite this, she believed she had effectively printed their tickets the day before their flight.
Only when she arrived at the airport did she realize she had printed the incorrect tickets?
“I was then instructed to go to the Ryanair counter to obtain a boarding pass, where I was charged £55 per person,” she said. “[I was] horrified.”
She added that it was difficult for her spouse to traverse the airport on foot. “I was quite flustered and upset.”
Mr. Jaffe, 80, said they had to pay since people in France were waiting for them.
Sunday, their daughter posted on X, formerly Twitter, that her mother had made “an honest mistake.”
“£110 for two sheets of paper that required one minute. “You should be ashamed,” she told the budget airline.
Her parents had to pay an additional fee to seat next to each other because her father has a disability.
Her post has been viewed more than 13 million times, with many social media users complaining about the excessive cost of printing boarding passes and other “surprise” fees at airports.
“I can feel the rage,” said one user of X.
Another individual urged Ryanair to “do the right thing,” while a third stated that “laws should be enacted to protect the elderly.”
One user said it would have been cheaper to buy a printer at the stationery store and print the tickets.
When asked about the massive reaction on social media, Mrs. Jaffe responded, “I believe people dislike Ryanair.”
She continued, “If you’re elderly and haven’t grown up using computers, it can be very challenging.”
Mr. Jaffe added, “It’s also the money-making aspect, like the fact that we had to pay extra to sit together.”
The couple has filed a complaint with Ryanair, but they do not expect a response.
“I believe they will cite the fine print and claim it was our mistake. True, but it was a genuine error,” Mrs. Jaffe explained.
Mr. James said the Jaffes’ experience showed a major difficulty with genuine mistakes.
“It is grossly unfair to penalize people who made an honest mistake,” he said, adding that airlines should commit to not charging passengers in such situations.
He stated that individuals do have options if this occurs. As the Jaffes did, they can protest to the airline, an alternative dispute resolution programme, or the small claims court.
“However, none of this guarantees compensation, and many individuals lack the time and energy,” he said. If more passengers objected to a lack of transparency, more airlines would reevaluate these fees.
Mr. James stated that online check-ins benefit airlines because they require fewer personnel to check passengers in at the airport.
These additional surcharges are nothing new, he added.
“For years, airlines have been charging for amenities that were once complimentary,” he said.
“[This story] resonates with people because they’ve also been hit with these fees, whether it’s luggage fees, paying to sit next to your family, or something else.”
Ryanair issued the following statement: “By Ryanair’s terms and conditions, which these passengers agreed to at the time of booking, they neglected to check-in online before they arrived at Stansted airport (11 August), despite receiving an email reminder to do so (10 August). These passengers were charged the correct airport check-in fee (£55 per passenger).
“All Ryanair passengers agree to check in online before arriving at their departure airport, and all passengers receive an email/SMS 24 hours before departure to remind them to do so.
“We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminders and failed to check in online.”
