Ryanair oh dear

Aylesbury_Duck

Locornwall said:

As OP stated, Contra Proferentem puts the onus on them.

Eh?  You  are the OP.  If you know the answer, why ask the question?

Send them a letter before action and take them to court for your losses if they don't respond after 14 days.

Jenni_D

Locornwall said:

4 x return ticket flights from London to Budapest

+

3 x one flights from Budapest to London

You're absolutely, 100% sure of that? (It helps your position if they were 8x individual flights - check the T&Cs carefully).

And as Mr. Duck says - you are the OP (original poster).

Manxman_in_exile

Hi @Locornwall

The abbreviation OP refers to two things: (1) the original or opening poster (you) and/or (2) the original or opening post of the thread (your first post).

I think you may have unintentionally caused a lot of confusion in the way you phrased your explanation of what happened.

For example, until you explained that two children would be travelling together with you and your partner, it made no sense why the fact that your partner had decided to stay a week longer would "therefore" require you to buy three additional one way return tickets instead of just one.  Do you see?

And even though I now understand that your partner together with the two children needed to return a week later than their tickets were originally booked for, I don't understand why you needed to buy three additional one way return tickets for them rather than simply changing the dates on their original returns to a week later?

If I understand you correctly - and you seem very definite about it - and you bought 4 x two leg return tickets rather than 8 x one leg single tickets, then I think that what Ryanair have done might be correct.  If you originally made a reservation for 4 x two leg return tickets, I don't think it would be possible to cancel only the return legs on just three of those tickets.

Also, some posters appear to be suggesting that you can't buy two leg return tickets on budget airlines like Ryan air anyway, and that if you want a "return ticket" you have two buy both an outbound one way and a return one way.  (Whether that is actually true or not I don't know.)

If you originally made a reservation for 4 x two leg return tickets, I'm not really surprised that Ryanair ended up cancelling them all if you tried to cancel just three of the return legs.

You can complain to Ryanair that they misled you (although I'm not sure that they did without seeing a trail of everyhing you did) but I'm not sure it will get you anywhere.  And I'm not sure a court would agree with you either.

[Edit:  Cross-posted with Jenni_D.  I'm trying to do this while watching Bullitt and I can't muti-task!!!!

And I agree with Jenni_D that it helps the OP if they originally bought 8 x one way tickets rather than 4 x two leg returns.

This thread is too confusing for me...]

user1977

Straight from the Irish horse's mouth:

"You don't need to notify us if you are unable to travel and if you can’t use your outbound flight, you can still use your return flight."

Note also that page says if they cancel then the refund would be for that flight, not all flights under a particular booking.

Aylesbury_Duck

Whatever the rights and wrongs of Ryanair, what can OP do?  They can't force Ryanair to sell the old seats back to them, and taking them to court for their losses won't happen in time to provide the funds to purchase flights at the new rate.

I think the best outcome OP can hope for is to take Ryanair to court (presumably in Ireland) and sue for the consequential loss of the holiday accommodation deposit or full cost if applicable.

Manxman_in_exile

No doubt I'm having real difficulty simultaneously trying to follow this thread and Bullitt, but how is this relevant to the OP's situation?  (Apologies if I'm still being thick... )

user1977 said:

"You don't need to notify us if you are unable to travel and if you can’t use your outbound flight, you can still use your return flight."

The OP didn't have a problem with not being able to use an outbound flight but still wanting to use their return flight, did they?  I thought the outbound flights were ok and it was the three original return flights for the partner and the two children that they couldn't use and were trying to cancel?

Also how is this relevant?  Ryanair didn't cancel...

user1977 said:

Note also that page says if they cancel then the refund would be for that flight, not all flights under a particular booking.

[Edit:  Sorry.  Reading that page again, who is the "they" who are cancelling?  I assumed you meant Ryanair, but I can't find the bit you are referring to on that page.]



[2nd edit:  I think you do mean Ryanair cancelling.  Is it this bit?

"Schedule change

Occasionally, due to unforeseen circumstances, we may have to change flight timings before scheduled departure. If this happens, we will notify you of the schedule change via e-mail. The change will also be reflected in your trip details under the “My Bookings” section in your myRyanair account.

You will be entitled to a full refund of all amounts you have paid to us in connection with that flight, if: ...]

user1977

Manxman_in_exile said:

No doubt I'm having real difficulty simultaneously trying to follow this thread and Bullitt, but how is this relevant to the OP's situation?  (Apologies if I'm still being thick... )

My point is that Ryanair do not sell "return tickets". They sell tickets for individual flights. It might be commonplace for their passengers to buy those tickets as outward and return journeys, but the flights are treated individually - so the typical policies of "mainstream" airlines about refunds being for the whole booking, or your return booking being automatically cancelled if you don't show up for the outbound flight, are of no relevance here.

So (although admittedly I still can't quite follow the OP's story) they are correct in thinking that Ryanair ought to be able to cope with individual flights being cancelled and refunds being given just for that leg, not the whole there-and-back booking.

Manxman_in_exile

@user1977 -  yes, I understand your point about Ryanair that the OP could not have bought 4 x two leg return tickets but must instead have bought 4 x single "out" tickets plus 4 x single "back" tickets.

Unfortunately the OP has been asked the question several times now and seems to be adamant that they bought 4 x two leg returns...

I hate to say it but I suspect part of the reason for the confusing story about both what happened and what tickets they bought is because English is not their first language...

Locornwall

😂 English is definitely my first and unfortunately my only language.

apologies for the confusion. I have been trying to explain my circumstance, albeit having read through I can see why it’s not as clear as I’d hoped.

I think you will see an increasing number of posts of this nature in the near future.

one person said Ryanair do not offer return flights, now I’m completely confused. Are they saying they are booked as return flights but in essence they are treated as individual flights?

CKhalvashi

Manxman_in_exile said:

If you originally bought (a) 4 x two leg return tickets rather than (b) 4 x one way outward and 4 x one way return tickets, I'm not 100% confident that a court (maybe an Irish court?) would necessarily see it that way.  I'm not sure you can cancel the return leg of a two way ticket  -  even if you think the website allowed you to do so.

Instead of buying three additional one way return tickets in the first place, couldn't you just have changed the return leg dates on three of the original tickets - whether they were two way or one way tickets?

It would be a matter for the Irish courts, possibly the Polish courts if the flights in question are operated by Buzz under the 'operating carrier' principle.

Term 2.3.1 of OP's contract with Ryanair is applicable and linked here.

Section 4.2.2 of the same contract refers to the 'booking'. If the flights were all on the same PNR, I'd deem OP to have accepted the entire booking will be cancelled in applying for the refund.

If they still wished to travel on part of the flights, they could have used the refund procedure for the tax on section 4.2.1, which would mean paying the relevant fee in Ryanair's scheme of charges for this refund to be processed, currently £17 per passenger.

I cannot see what Ryanair have done wrong here.