A man has taken to TikTok to share his “scam” experience after he and his travel companion were allegedly denied boarding on a Ryanair flight because there was only one seat left
A traveller’s dream holiday turned into a fiasco when they were barred from boarding their plane due to a mishap. As we gear up for the peak travel season, droves of Brits are set to jet off to sunny destinations like Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Turkey looking forward to basking in warm weather. Yet, things don’t always pan smoothly – occasionally, travel hiccups can derail someone’s holiday plans.
A TikTok user going by @scott. morelifecoaching has shared his ordeal about being prevented from getting on a Ryanair flight which he was due to take. He said that upon reaching the boarding gate, he was asked to stand aside. While other passengers with pre-booked seats went ahead, he and his friend, who hadn’t reserved seats and were last to check in, were left behind as there was only one seat was left.
The traveller called the situation a “scam” from Ryanair, pointing out their repeated references to their terms and conditions. Ryanair’s response to the Daily Express was clear cut: “As a policy, Ryanair does not overbook flights”.
However, the airline sidestepped the specific complaints voiced in the video. The company acknowledges that on rare occasions, confirmed reservation holders may face issues boarding the plane.
Their policy reads: “In the unlikely event that a seat is not available for a passenger with a confirmed reservation, we will seek volunteers to surrender their seats in exchange for benefits that we and the volunteer may agree upon before involuntarily denying boarding to other passengers.”
The UK Civil Aviation Authority notes that airlines often “book more people onto a flight than there are seats on the plane”, explaining that “this is because people don’t always turn up – despite having booked a flight”.
The TikTok user then shared that they had to wait 50 minutes to retrieve their luggage from the flight they were unable to board.
He also stated that airline staff informed them only one of the reservations would be compensated, and they would need to purchase another.
Ryanair’s policy outlines that passengers who are denied boarding are eligible for compensation options.
These include €250 (approximately £209) for flights up to 1,500km or €400 (around £339) for longer intra-EU flights and other flights ranging from 1,500km to 3,500km.
Additionally, affected passengers are entitled to reimbursement as per Article 7(3) of the Regulation, rerouting under comparable transport conditions to their final destination at the earliest opportunity or at a later date convenient for them, depending on seat availability.