Ryanair holding my ££ ransom?

Vini_2

Every year I organise a group booking for middle aged dads, to get some much needed R&R. It starts usually by me booking a flight and informing the others to "book if they want to come".

On the 4th of September I booked FR6031, from East Midlands to Palma, Majorca. This was scheduled to depart on Thursday 18th September 2025 at 05:45 (09:10) and returning on FR6602, departing Tuesday 23rd at 21:20 (23:00).

A few weeks later, my first "victim" tried to book the same flights, however, they found that the flights I had booked were no longer as advertised. FR6031 is now set to depart at 17:30 and FR6602 is returning at 16:05. This much reduces our time in Majorca.

I contacted Ryanair around October time to query this, and they advised that "officially" the flights have not yet changed. As such, I've not had the "your travel times have changed" email, and therefore I do not yet have the options to reschedule or cancel, etc...

Meanwhile, I have booked 10 tickets on other dates, for our trip.

I've had to outlay twice for my flight, and Ryanair are currently sat on ~£200 of my dollars with this "ransom flight".

What can I do? If anything? Ryanair are adamant they cannot do anything until this official change notice lands. But they're going to have had my cash ~6 months benefitting them, not me... Seems a little unfair. Especially as I COULD NOT book others on to the trip because of this.

eskbanker

This has come up on several threads on the travel boards - Ryanair have form for changing flight times for new bookings, but not adjusting existing ones until much closer to departure date, typically 90 or 120 days.  Their rationale is that until then all flight timings are effectively provisional and it's only once within that window that they're considered confirmed.

Not sure there's any consumer rights angle to prohibit or ameliorate such conduct though....

Caz3121

there are a few posts like this
Summer timetable (which includes your travel dates) commences end March and within the next weeks slots and schedules will be confirmed. Until they are flights can move times so the flight times could change again.
Ryanair approach appears to be that if the change is 5 hours or more, entitling you to a refund, you will receive the notification 120 days before the flight. If the change is les than 5 hours the official notification will be 90 days before.
The risk you have is that the flights move again before they are fixed and you end up with two sets of flights

Undervalued

Vini_2 said:

Every year I organise a group booking for middle aged dads, to get some much needed R&R. It starts usually by me booking a flight and informing the others to "book if they want to come".

On the 4th of September I booked FR6031, from East Midlands to Palma, Majorca. This was scheduled to depart on Thursday 18th September 2025 at 05:45 (09:10) and returning on FR6602, departing Tuesday 23rd at 21:20 (23:00).

A few weeks later, my first "victim" tried to book the same flights, however, they found that the flights I had booked were no longer as advertised. FR6031 is now set to depart at 17:30 and FR6602 is returning at 16:05. This much reduces our time in Majorca.

I contacted Ryanair around October time to query this, and they advised that "officially" the flights have not yet changed. As such, I've not had the "your travel times have changed" email, and therefore I do not yet have the options to reschedule or cancel, etc...

Meanwhile, I have booked 10 tickets on other dates, for our trip.

I've had to outlay twice for my flight, and Ryanair are currently sat on ~£200 of my dollars with this "ransom flight".

What can I do? If anything? Ryanair are adamant they cannot do anything until this official change notice lands. But they're going to have had my cash ~6 months benefitting them, not me... Seems a little unfair. Especially as I COULD NOT book others on to the trip because of this.

Annoying as this may be, £200 in a deposit account for six months would have earnt you a maximum of about £4 in interest! 

Assuming you eventually get this deposit back, either in cash or as part payment for a ticket you buy, I am struggling to understand why you "COULD NOT book the others on the trip because of this". Or am I missing the point?

Aylesbury_Duck

1. It’s Ryanair.  Bottom-end pricing comes with compromises.  When all goes smoothly, they’re a great value airline.  

2. As suggested, your loss on them holding the deposit amounts to a few pounds.  Yes, it’s the principle and all that, but see point 1.
3. Your consumer rights are your rights.  Ryanair have no obligation to accommodate your friends on the same flight, because you’ve (sensibly) chosen to let everyone book their own tickets.

Newbie_John

In couple of months you'll get email that the flight changed and you'll be able to change to their flight. That's it really it.
No issue here really 

sheramber

Undervalued said:

Vini_2 said:

Every year I organise a group booking for middle aged dads, to get some much needed R&R. It starts usually by me booking a flight and informing the others to "book if they want to come".

On the 4th of September I booked FR6031, from East Midlands to Palma, Majorca. This was scheduled to depart on Thursday 18th September 2025 at 05:45 (09:10) and returning on FR6602, departing Tuesday 23rd at 21:20 (23:00).

A few weeks later, my first "victim" tried to book the same flights, however, they found that the flights I had booked were no longer as advertised. FR6031 is now set to depart at 17:30 and FR6602 is returning at 16:05. This much reduces our time in Majorca.

I contacted Ryanair around October time to query this, and they advised that "officially" the flights have not yet changed. As such, I've not had the "your travel times have changed" email, and therefore I do not yet have the options to reschedule or cancel, etc...

Meanwhile, I have booked 10 tickets on other dates, for our trip.

I've had to outlay twice for my flight, and Ryanair are currently sat on ~£200 of my dollars with this "ransom flight".

What can I do? If anything? Ryanair are adamant they cannot do anything until this official change notice lands. But they're going to have had my cash ~6 months benefitting them, not me... Seems a little unfair. Especially as I COULD NOT book others on to the trip because of this.

Annoying as this may be, £200 in a deposit account for six months would have earnt you a maximum of about £4 in interest! 

Assuming you eventually get this deposit back, either in cash or as part payment for a ticket you buy, I am struggling to understand why you "COULD NOT book the others on the trip because of this". Or am I missing the point?

presumably because

A few weeks later, my first "victim" tried to book the same flights, however, they found that the flights I had booked were no longer as advertised.

Vini_2

Undervalued said:

Vini_2 said:

Every year I organise a group booking for middle aged dads, to get some much needed R&R. It starts usually by me booking a flight and informing the others to "book if they want to come".

On the 4th of September I booked FR6031, from East Midlands to Palma, Majorca. This was scheduled to depart on Thursday 18th September 2025 at 05:45 (09:10) and returning on FR6602, departing Tuesday 23rd at 21:20 (23:00).

A few weeks later, my first "victim" tried to book the same flights, however, they found that the flights I had booked were no longer as advertised. FR6031 is now set to depart at 17:30 and FR6602 is returning at 16:05. This much reduces our time in Majorca.

I contacted Ryanair around October time to query this, and they advised that "officially" the flights have not yet changed. As such, I've not had the "your travel times have changed" email, and therefore I do not yet have the options to reschedule or cancel, etc...

Meanwhile, I have booked 10 tickets on other dates, for our trip.

I've had to outlay twice for my flight, and Ryanair are currently sat on ~£200 of my dollars with this "ransom flight".

What can I do? If anything? Ryanair are adamant they cannot do anything until this official change notice lands. But they're going to have had my cash ~6 months benefitting them, not me... Seems a little unfair. Especially as I COULD NOT book others on to the trip because of this.

Annoying as this may be, £200 in a deposit account for six months would have earnt you a maximum of about £4 in interest! 

Assuming you eventually get this deposit back, either in cash or as part payment for a ticket you buy, I am struggling to understand why you "COULD NOT book the others on the trip because of this". Or am I missing the point?

At the time we tried to book the specific flight number, it just said ‘unavailable’. Presumably the flight was in flux due to the change in times, and/or Ryanair were preventing bookings due to its slot being unknown.

As mentioned above, worst case, I’ll have to fly back to Majorca week later than we’re now scheduled to go.

I book frequently with Ryanair, and other agents. I’m au fait with the slots and I don’t think I travelled in 2024 without any of the 10 or so flights I took, changing departure time… such is the risk with booking way in advance.

It’s not the interest and/or even the money that bothers me, it’s the policy/process that they’re able to hold onto my cash despite what I’ve paid for changing drastically.

Hey ho.

brianposter

I would suggest that this is a serious problem which certainly warrants a complaint to the CAA. There is no reason why the OP should not be permitted to cancel their booking in such circumstances - if one side of the contract is only provisional the other side ought also to be provisional.

Grumpy_chap

The OP may find this thread worth a read:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6575747/ryanair-flight-change/p1

Vini_2

Grumpy_chap said:

The OP may find this thread worth a read:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6575747/ryanair-flight-change/p1

Yep, exact same situation.

To be fair, in the times I’ve had those ‘time change’ emails from Ryanair, we’ve often ended up with better/more expensive flights.

I just find it annoying that the flights have changed, yet, they do not send that email regarding the time change until much later/nearer the time.

As someone said above, if I don’t like it, I could go elsewhere, but meh, I’ll just suck it up.

Very worst case, I fly back to Majorca week later than we’re going for another week 😂