Ryanair - Comments & Feedback Thread 22 January 2009 at 10:40AM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Flights, Currency & Car Hire 790 replies 49.2K views

lorweld

Please use this thread for feedback and comments related to the budget airline "Ryanair".

Any new threads of this nature started from this point on will be merged to keep other threads from sinking down the Travel board.

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trisontana

Back in October I booked two tickets on Ryanair from Stansted to Seville. At the time of booking, take-off time was 07.00, with arrival back home at midday. Last night I happened to check on the flight and it's been moved 17.05, with arrival back at 23.00. This has completely mucked up my planning. For a start , because of the early start I had booked an overnight hotel at Stansted. This is not needed now. Also I am not very keen on arriving in Seville at 9'oclock in the evening.
To make thinks worse the airline have never had the courtesy to email me about these changes. I know they have my email address because that's they one they used to confirm the initial booking. Unfortunately I am stuck with using them as now other airline flys to Seville on that date, and we have already booked accommodation. I think I will be able to cancel the hotel and parking package, but I am not a happy bunny!

alison74

Wrong info from me

Voyager2002

Check the EU regulations: these count as major changes.

Did you find out more than 14 days before you were due to travel?

trisontana

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Check the EU regulations: these count as major changes.

Did you find out more than 14 days before you were due to travel?

I forgot to say in my first post that we are flying in late April.

Voyager2002

trisontana wrote: »

I forgot to say in my first post that we are flying in late April.

Ah, so no compensation.

Check whether they have any other flights going at different times, and ask to be moved to whichever flights are most convenient for you. They should do this without charge.

Of course, if you are on the only flights of the day there is not a lot more to be done.

BenL

As you say no other airline can help you this might not be of use but if you flight times are changed by more than 3 hours you can get a full refund from Ryanair.

If a Ryanair flight is time changed significantly (more than 3 hours before or after the original departure time) and no suitable alternative flight is available, we will, upon application, offer a Travel Credit or a refund for all monies paid in respect of the time changed flight, without further liability.


They changed a flight for me to Belfast so we got a refund and went with easyjet instead.

trisontana

I have now contacted Ryanair (via the premium-rate number) to complain about the lack of notification of these changes. The girl I spoke to insisted that they had emailed me, but I swear I never received it. I checked that they had my correct email address, which they have. Of course it's my word against theirs, but it's very annoying.

Contrast this the BMI who emailed me to say that a flight I have booked with them to Copenhagen is landing a whole 5 minutes earlier than first shown.

lisyloo

If this really clashes with your plans then you can use your travel insurance to make different arrangements.


If it's just not ideal and a bit inconvenient then I'm afraid you just have to live with it.
I sympathise but this can happen to ANY airline but it's more likely to happen if you go to a cheap airline with fewer backup plans or ATC slots - so you do tend to get what you pay for in life.

We once booked with a different airline and claimed the extra costs through our travel insurance. In our case we were going to a wedding and going later was just not an option.

So you can claim if it's a major problem, otherwise you just have to live with it.
We don't live in a perfect world and ATC schedules do change etc.
You are more likely to have something like this happen if you go with a dirt cheap provider rather than a "proper" airline who have more conntingency in place so it's part of the compromise you make when you travel with cut price operators.
I won't tar them all with the same brush because Easyjet are very professional, but RyanAir are just shoddy all round.

It's my ambition never to fly with them.

omelette451

As others have said, airlines are entitled to change flight times if they give you two weeks' notice, though I agree they should have emailed you as soon as they knew they were doing it rather than (presumably) waiting until nearer the deadline.

However, if you've booked a hotel at Stansted I assume you don't live nearby, so suggest you look at alternative airports from which Ryanair flies to Seville. If you find a better-timed one around the same day you'll probably find they're willing to transfer you to it for free.

kerfootuk

Sorry to hijack this thread but we are looking to go to Rome from Liverpool - 31st Jan to 7th Feb. Are Ryanair likely to reduce costs or put them up the closer to the date you book?
TIA