Ryanair - No refund if you cancel?

RolandFlagg

About a week ago myself and a friend booked a UK to Ireland fight for the end of August for a Friends surprise birthday weekend.

My mate has just realised that his passport has expired (He's sure he checked before...but anyway).

He's contacted the local passport office for an appointment for a fast track passport but has been told October is the first appointment they have and all he can do is keep checking to see if new appointments appear.

Obviously it's his fault for not checking his passport sooner and not realising there was a long wait for appointments, but if it comes to it that he can't get this passport renewed before the flight (three weeks away), can he cancel and get some form of refund?

Thanks.

RolandFlagg

Just to add to this...

Could he apply for an emergency travel document?

Caz3121

https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017824978-Refund-Policy
Ryanair flights are non-refundable.
In theory could get the £13 APD back but Ryanair charge £17 to process this!

If he still needs to travel it is worth noting that other airlines eg Aer Lingus will allow travel with id such as driving licence...Ryanair don't.

Exodi

https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017824978-Refund-Policy

Can I cancel my Ryanair flight?
Once a Ryanair flight is operational, and does not have a delay exceeding 5 hours, then it is not possible to get a refund. All Ryanair flights are changeable but they cannot be cancelled.

https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

How it works

You can apply for an emergency travel document (sometimes called an ‘emergency passport’) if you’re abroad, need to travel and cannot get a passport in time.

Eligibility

You can apply for an emergency travel document if all the following apply:

you’re a British national

you’re outside the UK

your passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy

you do not have time to renew or replace your passport before you travel

you can provide proof of your travel plans, for example booking confirmations (or detailed written travel plans if you cannot book ahead)

NoodleDoodleMan

Ryanair's default position is they don't do refunds - except as mentioned above.

I can't think any other airline would do so, where it is clearly the passenger's fault that he/she cannot fly.

onashoestring

No entitlement to a refund , but if your friend is flexible about which passport office they can travel to they could get a 1- week fast track appointment.( £142) 

https://www.passportappointment.service.gov.uk/outreach/publicbooking.ofml

They will need to check multiple times each day as new slots are added as they become available. For example when checking yesterday the only available appointments were in Belfast but on checking this evening there was an available slot in Glasgow on August 8th . These are in high demand and get booked up quickly . 

williamsl5

Passport is not needed if flying from UK to Ireland as both are part of the Common Travel Area (CTA)

See below;
UK citizens don't need a passport or visa to travel to the island of Ireland. You can use official photo identification. 

eskbanker

williamsl5 said:

Passport is not needed if flying from UK to Ireland as both are part of the Common Travel Area (CTA)

See below;
UK citizens don't need a passport or visa to travel to the island of Ireland. You can use official photo identification. 

Unfortunately that's just the theory - in practice, transportation providers can set their own policies, and Ryanair's is unequivocal!

https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017683257

Common Travel Area Requirements

A valid passport is required for travel with Ryanair between Ireland and the UK. No exceptions will be made.

Driving licenses are not acceptable for travel with Ryanair between the UK and Ireland. 

Caz3121

williamsl5 said:

Passport is not needed if flying from UK to Ireland as both are part of the Common Travel Area (CTA)

See below;
UK citizens don't need a passport or visa to travel to the island of Ireland. You can use official photo identification. 

correct for other airlines but not with Ryanair

 Common Travel Area Requirements

A valid passport is required for travel with Ryanair between Ireland and the UK. No exceptions will be made.

Driving licenses are not acceptable for travel with Ryanair between the UK and Ireland. 

https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360017683257-Requirements-for-Passports-and-Visas-

macman

To be precise, you can enter Eire  from the UK without a passport, but Ryanair won't allow you to board unless you have a passport as a means of ID.