A Ryanair passenger has expressed her frustration after claiming she was made to pay more for her check-in fee than the cost of her flight. The disgruntled traveller, known as Bex, took to TikTok to vent her grievances, claiming she had been “scammed” when she was charged £55 to check in for her £32 flight.
In a video recorded at the airport, she said: “I’m on hold to Ryanair right now – I’ve been on hold for 20 minutes to put my phone through the scanner.” As the possibility of missing her flight became increasingly real, she added: “I still haven’t got through. I’ve tried two phone numbers, but can’t get through to them.”
Bex suggested that her predicament arose from not receiving an email reminder from Ryanair to check in online. However, many TikTok users defended the airline. One person asked: “Why do you need a reminder?
“Don’t you know when you’re flying out? How come you weren’t able to do it online? I fly with Ryanair all the time and never had this problem”, reports Belfast Live.
Another agreed, asking Bex: “Why couldn’t you check in online? In fairness to Ryanair the whole point of being able to offer £32 flight prices is because they save money on ground staff i.e. you checking in online. It’s not a scam.”
A TikTok user vented frustration, posting: “That’s why they tell you to check in ONLINE so you don’t pay a fee in person. You have plenty of time to check in and you left it too late.”
Another defended the airline’s policy: “To be fair, I’ve flown with Ryanair. They don’t hide the fact you need to do an online check-in. They’re great as long as you play by their rules and not try and chance it.”
Meanwhile, Bex found some allies online, with one person sympathising: “It’s the same with Whizz Air, £33 to check in plus a £8 ‘processing fee’ because apparently pressing a few buttons is an incredibly complex £42 worth of work.”
A fellow traveller shared a similar experience: “We booked a last minute holiday going the next day. Tried the second we booked to check in but because it was less than 24 hours before we went they wouldn’t allow… £110 charge at the airport.”
Another commenter suggested a solution for those affected: “Pay with credit card, get written evidence of communications with the company refusing to refund, then get the credit card company to do a charge back to get your money refunded.”
BelfastLive contacted Ryanair for comment.