Ryanair is charging blind and elderly Britons a staggering £50 fee to book flights over the telephone, it has emerged.
The hefty surcharge particularly impacts vulnerable customers who struggle with technology or have disabilities, many of whom feel compelled to book by phone due to accessibility issues with online platforms.
A new investigation by Which? has revealed that booking a getaway over the phone can cost as much as £50 more than making the same reservation online, the Mirror reports.
The investigation found holiday provider Sykes Cottages charged an additional £9 for phone bookings without disclosing this fee on their website.
Ryanair’s £50 phone booking fee stands out as particularly excessive among travel companies.
When questioned about this charge, Ryanair suggested blind passengers could use screen readers or ask someone else to help them book online.
But that has been met with disappointment from accessibility advocates, who point out many vulnerable customers lack such support options.
Accessibility consultant Adi Latif, who is blind, explained that not all visually impaired people have assistance available, while many feel uncomfortable asking for help with personal travel arrangements.
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Latif described his frustrating experience with Ryanair’s app, saying: “The results page is just full of unlabelled graphics, making it impossible for me to understand what’s going on.”
He has encountered similar accessibility problems with other airline websites and apps.
While some companies waive phone booking fees for disabled passengers, Ryanair has made no such commitment.
Other airlines also impose phone booking charges, though less severe than Ryanair’s – KLM charges £30 for telephone bookings, while British Airways adds a £15 fee.
A spokesman for Ryanair defended the practice, stating that the airline encourages passengers to book online “to avoid unnecessary costs” and to keep fares low.
Sykes Cottages, meanwhile, clarified that its call handlers have discretion to waive the phone booking fee.
Ryanair has developed a reputation for imposing extra charges on customers for various services.
Earlier this year, a pair of Ryanair passengers revealed to GB News that they were left “utterly miffed” after being issued a double fine for “oversized baggage” at the airport – despite their bags being the right size.
“As their cabin bags exceeded the permitted size, they were correctly charged a standard gate baggage fee (75) by the gate agent at Dublin Airport to place their oversized bags in the hold,” a Ryanair spokesman said.
But passenger Mary O’Hanlon hit back, saying: “I’m so bloody mad. Our bags ARE the right size – and we still took them on the plane back!”