Ryanair - a pleasant surprise

jammin_2

My wife and I and my 9 month old son were flying out of Shannon in Ireland to Palma de Mallorca, for a short holiday, with Ryanair.

I bought my son a child ticket, rather than infant, because a child ticket includes a seat - infant tickets do not. Also, child tickets include 10kg hand baggage allowance (handy for all his baby items) - infant tickets do not.

Anyway, we get to the airport and the check-in agent politely tells me that infants can't travel on child tickets (not that this is stated anywhere, and it goes without saying that a 9 month old baby is still a child).

I was required to pay €40 for the return infant ticket, so my son could travel. No big deal, I thought, I'll pay the €40 and when we get home, I'll write to Ryanair and request a refund for the unused child ticket.

To my pleasant surprise, a couple of days after we returned home, I received an email from Ryanair advising that the cost of the unused child ticket has been refunded in full, to my credit card! I've just checked my account, and it has indeed been refunded. I did not have to contact Ryanair at all.

I'm very impressed with that. Certainly a turn-up for the books.

Btw, they even refunded €5 too much, afaics. The child ticket was €20 (that is, €5 each way inc. tax, plus €5 each way credit card charge). But they refunded €25 to my card!

On a side note, flying out of Palma de Mallorca on the way home was interesting. We had one piece of checked baggage (weighing exactly 15g), which we had pre-paid for, and two pieces of hand baggage between my wife and myself (each weighing exactly 10kg). Our son's bag we stuffed underneath his pram (which, incidentally, was carried free).

Lucky we were so precise with our baggage (more specifically, by not going over the limit), because the staff at Palma airport were actively monitoring this, including the one piece of hand baggage per person rule, and charging €20 per extra piece.

On an even "sider" note (and nothing to do with Ryanair at all), the check-in agent at Palma de Mallorca airport was comical. He asked me if my wife was in possession of a Schengen visa for travel to Ireland. It's comical because:

A) my wife is a Singapore citizen and, as such, does not require a visa for travel to any EU country,

as my family member my wife is entitled to travel with me (British citizen) to any EU country visa-free (regardless of her own nationality), if in possession of a Residence Card issued in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC - which she is.

C) Ireland is not in the Schengen area in any case!

So I replied to the check agent simply, "no, she doesn't require a Schengen visa for her travel to Ireland today". And he said, "ok then", and off we went! :rotfl:

Voyager2002

A good post.

An ironic side note to your last comment: since Spain is in the Schengen zone, anyone who needed a visa to enter Schengen would already have had one.

jammin_2

Voyager2002 wrote: »

A good post.

An ironic side note to your last comment: since Spain is in the Schengen zone, anyone who needed a visa to enter Schengen would already have had one.

This is true. It's comical and light-hearted in our case, but this apparent lack of training of airport check-in staff (particularly with issues relating to the freedom of movement rights held by EU citizens and their family members), has the potential to cause huge logistical, practical and emotional problems for many people.

ginvzt

Oh, I was asked if I have a visa to travel back to UK when flying back to UK from Milan (I am EU citizen, but not UK or Italy). The check-in girl called her supervisor and it still took them a while to work out that I am from EU - that despite my husband (Italian) telling them N times that I am from EU and we live in UK!!! Those clerks are funny sometimes...

jammin_2

ginvzt wrote: »

Oh, I was asked if I have a visa to travel back to UK when flying back to UK from Milan (I am EU citizen, but not UK or Italy). The check-in girl called her supervisor and it still took them a while to work out that I am from EU - that despite my husband (Italian) telling them N times that I am from EU and we live in UK!!! Those clerks are funny sometimes...

I agree with the check-in agent not taking your husband's word for it that you are an EU citizen. But surely your passport / national ID card was a clue? I'm guessing that you are citizen of a country who joined the EU in 2004/2007, and perhaps the check-in agent was (utterly unacceptably) unaware that your country is in the EU?

PandaPants_2

I can see the headlines now "Ryanair in refund shocker". I'm certainly in disbelief... :rotfl:

moonrakerz

jammin wrote: »

This is true. It's comical and light-hearted in our case, but this apparent lack of training of airport check-in staff (particularly with issues relating to the freedom of movement rights held by EU citizens and their family members), has the potential to cause huge logistical, practical and emotional problems for many people.

I hope you didn't come across the one (in the Irish Republic) who asked a checking-in passenger: "Has anyone put anything in your luggage that you are not aware of ?"

jammin_2

moonrakerz wrote: »

I hope you didn't come across the one (in the Irish Republic) who asked a checking-in passenger: "Has anyone put anything in your luggage that you are not aware of ?"

Sorry, you've lost me.

crocodileteeth

I read through this post because its not often you see a good write up about Ryanair. We also had a short break in Palma last week and flew back on Saturday to Stansted. We checked in on line before leaving, the queue to board the plane was orderly, the boarding pass check was swift and efficient and both flights were on time.

Woby_Tide

jammin wrote: »

I bought my son a child ticket, rather than infant, because a child ticket includes a seat - infant tickets do not. Also, child tickets include 10kg hand baggage allowance (handy for all his baby items) - infant tickets do not.

Anyway, we get to the airport and the check-in agent politely tells me that infants can't travel on child tickets (not that this is stated anywhere, and it goes without saying that a 9 month old baby is still a child).

You've been fairly lucky then as it is in the terms(and it's not Ryanairs terms I think it's CAA or whatever rules. It's on the link under teh infants checkbox where it says up to 2 years

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=chd&quest=infants

For safety and insurance requirements, infants (aged 8 days up to and including 23 months) must be accompanied by a passenger aged 16 years or above and booked in the ratio of one infant per adult. Children aged between 8 days and less than 2 years as at date of travel cannot travel in their own seat and must sit on an adult's lap. (One infant per adult). N.B. Extra seats cannot be purchased for infants.

jammin_2

Woby_Tide wrote: »

You've been fairly lucky then as it is in the terms(and it's not Ryanairs terms I think it's CAA or whatever rules. It's on the link under teh infants checkbox where it says up to 2 years

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/faqs.php?sect=chd&quest=infants

For safety and insurance requirements, infants (aged 8 days up to and including 23 months) must be accompanied by a passenger aged 16 years or above and booked in the ratio of one infant per adult. Children aged between 8 days and less than 2 years as at date of travel cannot travel in their own seat and must sit on an adult's lap. (One infant per adult). N.B. Extra seats cannot be purchased for infants.

Thanks for that. 'Twas the extra 10kg hand baggage that the child ticket came with that was the main reason for buying the ticket though, rather than the seat. Still, my son's bag fit nicely underneath the pram in the end anyway, so it worked out fine.