Martyn and Melrose Altilar had hoped to jet off to Corfu, Greece, following their wedding but their plans were shattered after Martyn, 43, fell seriously ill with sepsis
A newlywed couple is warning holidaymakers to get insurance after they missed their honeymoon due to illness.
Martyn Altilar, 43, fell unwell with sepsis last month, weeks before he was supposed to jet off to Greece with wife Melrose. He was to ill to travel but, because neither he or Melrose had secured insurance, they were unable to enjoy their 10-day holiday.
Ryanair said the passenger “is not entitled to a refund” and stressed all tourists should take out travel insurance upon booking all holidays. This warning is today echoed by Martyn and 31-year-old Melrose, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, who bought their Corfu honeymoon using all the money given to them as wedding presents.
“We were going to look into getting the insurance but everything just came on top of it, distractions. It was a silly mistake. For the sake of what, fifty quid for the insurance? It could have been a different outcome,” Martyn said.
“We weren’t expecting money back because we know we’ve messed up but we were hoping for some compassion and to potentially move the flight dates. There’s literally nothing they can do they said.”
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But Ryanair has told reporters the couple had the option of changing their flight dates, the flight routes or passenger names on the booking, but did pursue either of these choices.
Martyn, a tattoo artist, spent 10 days in hospital with the sepsis last month. He had two surgeries and was told by doctors to rest at home for two weeks, which meant travel was out of the question.
The newlywed continued: “We can’t go. It’s devastating because we’ve just paid for the wedding and we paid for this honeymoon with our wedding present money. It’s definitely not helped with the recovery. It’s been a lot of added stress.
“Twelve years we’ve been together, we go on holiday every year and we never get insurance for flights or anything. I would absolutely urge others to take out holiday insurance. I think it’s a given at this point. If I’ve learned anything it’s to check my body when it’s letting me know [that something’s wrong] and get holiday insurance.”
After Martyn suffered an aching pain in his left bum cheek on August 18, he dismissed this as pain from sitting down for long periods at work. Martyn became feverish and started vomiting, so he was rushed to hospital where he underwent two operations.
“I thought I was going to die, which is one of the signs of sepsis. I was in and out of consciousness. It’s the first time I’ve ever cried of pain. The pain was excruciating,” Martyn said.
“I do look after myself, I eat healthy, I work out. I look after myself as best I can so to nearly die from sepsis, it’s been very eye-opening. We’ve looked at rebooking the honeymoon but it’s going to take some climbing out of this pit we’re in now. We’re crawling into debt at this point.”
Martyn and Melrose say they have lost £600 on the flights, and a further £600 on the accommodation in Corfu. They have set up a GoFundMe to help with living costs as Martyn can’t work at the moment due to his illness.
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “All Ryanair air fares are non-refundable. Therefore, this passenger is not entitled to a refund for their non-refundable Manchester to Corfu return flights (9 Sept).
“This passenger contacted customer service on the 28 Aug to request a refund and was informed that same day that their flight was non-refundable and provided with the option of changing their flight dates, the flight routes or passenger names on the booking, which this passenger did not do.
“As Ryanair tickets are non-refundable, we encourage all passengers to take out travel insurance to cover the unexpected such as illness.”
To donate to Martyn and Melrose’s appeal, visit this link.