Flight not being cancelled !

stevelear

Good morning 
Im in desperate need of advice. 

I have a flight booked for 6 people this Sunday (19th July) with Ryanair from stansted to paphos, cyprus.  As you will be aware we are not able to disembark and enter the country on our arrival into the country due to coronavirus restrictions currently in place. However Ryanair are not cancelling the flight for us to even apply for a refund! 

I have tried multiple times on every platform to try and contact Ryanair about this situation and just get no response at all in any form. I have tried the phone, robotchat, live chat, Facebook instagram and Twitter! 

The thing is I cannot understand why Ryanair are doing this to thousands of customers and I can’t understand why it’s not a scandal news story? 

I have one pressing question I wish to ask and that is, should I wait until the flight is due to depart before applying a chargeback using my debit card or can I start the process before ie, today/tomorrow?  I would have thought I need to wait until it is due to fly to give them a chance to cancel? 

Please help me with this as I feel I have no where else to turn! 

Thank you, 

Caz3121

stevelear said:

should I wait until the flight is due to depart before applying a chargeback using my debit card or can I start the process before ie, today/tomorrow?  I would have thought I need to wait until it is due to fly to give them a chance to cancel? 

I would expect a chargeback to fail if the flight operates. 
Have you checked if your travel insurance would cover your costs should the flight go ahead? (it appears to have been operating the last couple of weeks)

[Deleted User]

stevelear said:

The thing is I cannot understand why Ryanair are doing this to thousands of customers and I can’t understand why it’s not a scandal news story? 

The reason it's not a scandal is because you paid for a flight and they are providing a flight.  It therefore scores very on the scandalometer.

Travel insurance is your best bet.

Mrsn

As others have said if the flights operate a chargeback will not work as the service has been provided.

There may be others boarding the flight that don’t have those particular restrictions which is why the flight is operating.

You will need to talk to you travel insurance provider if you have any.

Pollycat

I've had a quick look at GOV.UK re Cyprus restrictions:

Travel is subject to entry restrictions

• you cannot enter Cyprus if you have been in the UK in the last 14 days
• you can only enter Cyprus if you can show proof that you are a legal resident of Cyprus or a Cypriot ID holder and a negative PCR test result (taken in the previous 72 hours)

Passengers who have been in the UK, or any other destination not listed in categories A or B, in the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter Cyprus, even via a third country (e.g. Greece), until further notice. The Republic of Cyprus government have indicated that this may change from 1 August. You should continue to track developments through the Republic of Cyprus Information Office.

The exception to this is legal residents of Cyprus and Cypriot ID holders who will be permitted to enter Cyprus on presentation of proof of residence or Cypriot nationality and a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (taken in the 72 hours before departure).

So anyone flying from the UK will be refused entry - unless you are a legal resident of Cyprus or hold a Cypriot ID and have a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (taken in the 72 hours before departure).

I wonder how many in that category will be on Sunday's flight.

I do have sympathy for the OP but if the flight operates I too think a chargeback will fail.

mattyprice4004

If the flight does go ahead, as per the other answers you have 2 hopes - and one is Bob  

Unfortunately this is what travel insurance is for - make a claim on that. A chargeback will fail once Ryanair tell the CC company the flight took off. 
Cyprus' restrictions aren't Ryanair's problem; they're yours as a traveller. 

bagand96

stevelear said:

The thing is I cannot understand why Ryanair are doing this to thousands of customers and I can’t understand why it’s not a scandal news story? 

It's not a scandal because there are likely some people who want to travel to Cyprus, and will be able to meet the requirements.  The UK does have a fairly substantial Cypriot ex-pat community, so there may well be Cypriot citizens or ID card holders that will want to travel back to Cyprus.  There are very few flights UK-Cyprus operating at the moment (compared to what usually would be) so your flight would be one of the options.  Also consider the aircraft will also operate a Paphos-Stansted leg.  There will be people wanting to return to the UK who want to use that flight.

Unfortunately, entry requirements to a country are not the responsibility of the airline, they are the passenger.  I do feel for your scenario, but it's not Ryanair's responsibility.  As other posters have pointed out, a chargeback would likely fail as the service you paid for is operating.  You have two options - Ryanair might allow you to move the tickets (you don't need to speak to them for that - log into your booking it can be done there).  If that's not an option you need to approach your travel insurance.

bellamd1

Our flights never got cancelled recently when we were due to fly to Cyprus, we were obviously not allowed into the country.  I spoke to Ryanair on several occassions in the lead up to flights asked about transferrings flights, credit note all were refused, even the day before the lady advised we could take the flight and then be charged for a return flight.  I have tried through credit card but that appears to be pointless also as they are saying the flight went, everyone seems to miss the fact we were not allowed on the flight.  I have contacted the government CMA(Competition and markets Authority)  they clearly state under their guidance that they expect a consumer to be offered a full refund for any of the following.
1. A business has cancelled a contract without providing any of the promised goods or service.
2. No service is provided by a business, for example because this is prevented by the restrictions that apply during the current lockdown or
3. a consumer cancels, or is prevented from receiving any services, because the lockdown restrictions mean they are not allowed to use the services.
We clearly full under point 2 and 3 but I still don't seem to be getting anywhere.
Does anyone have any useful advise.  Our travel insurance does not cover pandemics !!

sheramber

Ryan air dId provide the service. The flight went.
 Why were you not allowed on the flight? FCO  advice against travel is not a reason for  Ryanair to give you a credit or a   refund you. It is advice only and does not prevent you travelling if you want to.
Your only claim against FCO advice not  to travel is through your travel insurance , if you have cover for that.

mattyprice4004

bellamd1 said:

Our flights never got cancelled recently when we were due to fly to Cyprus, we were obviously not allowed into the country.  I spoke to Ryanair on several occassions in the lead up to flights asked about transferrings flights, credit note all were refused, even the day before the lady advised we could take the flight and then be charged for a return flight.  I have tried through credit card but that appears to be pointless also as they are saying the flight went, everyone seems to miss the fact we were not allowed on the flight.  I have contacted the government CMA(Competition and markets Authority)  they clearly state under their guidance that they expect a consumer to be offered a full refund for any of the following.
1. A business has cancelled a contract without providing any of the promised goods or service.
2. No service is provided by a business, for example because this is prevented by the restrictions that apply during the current lockdown or
3. a consumer cancels, or is prevented from receiving any services, because the lockdown restrictions mean they are not allowed to use the services.
We clearly full under point 2 and 3 but I still don't seem to be getting anywhere.
Does anyone have any useful advise.  Our travel insurance does not cover pandemics !!

Get better insurance next time - Ryanair provided the service, it's the country at the other end who say you're not allowed in unless you meet their criteria.
Ryanair merely stopped you doing a 4 hour pointless round trip, the restrictions aren't their fault and to that end they don't have to refund you.