norham

[size=4]Just a story of how a great weekend in Brussels went pear shaped with the help of Ryanair

I and my wife booked a return flight to Charleroi Airport leaving Dublin on the 17/3/06 to return on the 20/3/06 on the 0930hrs flight with Ryanair.

When we arrived at Charleroi on the 20/3/06 our baggage was checked in and we awaited our flight, at first the incoming flight due a 9am was delayed to 9.25am and then our flight delayed to 0940hrs.

We waited along with the other passengers and then your flight to Shannon was cancelled. Shortly afterwards our flight was cancelled, now I have to mention there
was fog outside but not a lot.

These cancellations were badly conveyed to the passengers by a quietly spoken female and it took several questions to actually find out what was happening. We were then handed out a compensation form badly photocopied and that was the sum total of the information given by I have to say not Ryanair staff because there were none but ground service staff who had no command of the English language, I asked at one stage what we were to do and was met with a shrug of the shoulders.

Some passengers then queued up at the ticket desks but after 30mins or so no movement was taking place and I asked someone at the front of the queue what was happening and was told there was no flights today and the earliest Ryanair could offer a return flight was Friday the 24/3/06 there was no mention of compensation except the refund of half the fare.

We managed to phone my son at home and he got us booked onto an Aer Lingus flight from Brussels Int Airport at a cost of 391-46euro.
There was no additional transport back to Brussels except the normal bus again at a cost of 21euro.

We then had to get a train to Brussels Int Airport at a further cost of 5-60euro.
To say I?m disgusted at how we and 400 or so other passengers were treated by Ryanair is an under statement. Ryanair simply abandoned us.

I have since found out the incoming flight was diverted to Liege, and arrived at 0840am local time and took off again at 0921am local time so I have asked why couldn?t the passengers have been transferred there. or the plane been sent back to Charleroi. A flight from Milan landed at Charleroi airport at 10.58am so it was open some 90mins after their flight left for Dublin. Again the next Ryanair flight landed at 5.10pm local time so why couldn?t they have sent an additional flight to cater for the passengers they left behind.

Ryanair have yet to respond but after reading their press releases on EEC regulation 261 on passengers rights they no doubt will use the weather as a get out clause under extraordinary circumstances or try to Michael O'Leary is a well I'll not go down that road just yet.

But a ray of hope has appeared as I type another N.Ireland passenger took Easy Jet to court under simaler Circ's and won his case.

So beware my advice do not use ryanair

Iceman

EVERY customer of my travel agency that has booked Ryan Air came back and will not fly with them again...

norham

Perhaps you could PM me with some experiences, I fully intend taking them to court on this one
thanks

needforspeed

[quote name='norham' date='Mar 26 2006, 09:56 AM' post='260138']
[size=4] But a ray of hope has appeared as I type another N.Ireland passenger took Easy Jet to court under simaler Circ's and won his case.

So beware my advice do not use ryanair
[/quote

I've had similar experiences with Thomson Fly, Easy Jet and Ryan Air. This is just par for the course with non-flexible tickets on low cost airlines.

You don't get anything for nothing and with the very low cost fares being offered by these companies there has to be a catch.....

..........which is that, if you need to change you arrangements you might as well buy another ticket, cause the arrangement fees are so expensive (change flight date or time with Thomson Fly = ?15 per person per flight - ?60 for a return trip for 2).

..........and also a lack of staff presence at airports, lack of staff training and ability and complete disinterest in looking after customers when they cancel a flight.

Sometimes these tickets work out, other times it's just false economy. I tend to pay a little more and fly fully flexible with BA these days - which means you also get to use their lounge for internal flights.

I wish you luck with suing them - I think they deserve to lose, but will probably win.

Iceman

We don't sell them. Every customer has to deal with them himself. But i warned every of my customers and AFAIK nobody tried to sue them. Most likely you'll lose because they have a ton of lawyers and a lot of experience.
I never heard about any customer that was sueing them and actually won.
Airlines like Ryan AIr are very bad for the whole travel industrie.

ImolaRedM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060329/od_af...in_060329182806

Stealthblue

They are on a roll!!

KAF

and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4859716.stm

"Hello dealers....... .............can I book in for some warranty work, my Sat Nav is playing up"

Iceman