Ryanair has hit back at a couple who vowed they will ‘never fly with the airline again’ after their decision to not pay extra to reserve seats ended up getting them kicked off the flight.
Scott McCormick and his girlfriend, Helena Boshwick, both 33, were set to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long break and gym mentorship event.
The couple chose not to reserve seats – which typically costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat – prior to boarding as they ‘didn’t mind’ sitting apart during the two-hour flight.
This can be a gamble, as passengers might not get a seat next to their travel companions – or they could find themselves wedged in between two strangers if they’ve been assigned a less-desirable middle seat.
And, as Scott and Laura discovered, it can even mean you may be forced to take separate flights all together.
The fitness mentor, from Birmingham, West Midlands, said: ‘We checked in the night before and we didn’t reserve a seat but you normally just get a random one.
‘Me and my partner thought it’s not that much of a problem if we’re not sitting together for a two-hour flight, we’re adults here.’
He added: ‘We were the first ones at the gate ready for boarding. The lady scanned our boarding passes and told us to step to the side for a second. That moment was a red flag, I thought: “There’s something happening here”.
Scott McCormick and his girlfriend, Helena Boshwick were set to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long break
The Ryanair passenger vowed to ‘never fly with the airline again’ after his common money-saving plan eventually cost him his seat on the flight
Ryanair gate staff reportedly told the couple – who did not reserve seats during check-in – that there was only one available seat left once all other passengers had boarded
‘When everyone boarded, she said: “the plane is full, there’s only one seat remaining and we will have to reimburse you for the other seat or you’ll have to get on the next flight”.’
The news led to Scott and his girlfriend having a ‘meltdown’ as they had wanted to catch the same flight and arrive to their destination together.
He explained: ‘There was no compassion or care whatsoever. After going back and forth we said we’re not going to take separate flights and be in separate countries for hours.’
The gym owner claims they protested and were finally told that they could both get on the next flight and receive a refund for both tickets.
Scott added: ‘I asked if we can have that in writing or an email for them to confirm it in some way. They said it’s on the system, and when we go to ticket sales, they will reimburse us and we can get on the next flight.’
But when the couple went to the check-in desk again, they were reportedly told they still had to pay for one of the tickets – while Scott claims he never received a refund.
According to the holidaymaker, one of the seats had been marked in the system as a cancelled booking, while the other was put down as a missed flight – meaning the pair would be reimbursed for one while the other had to be paid for.
The couple reportedly shelled out a further £100 on a new ticket and waited four hours for the next departing flight to Palma.
The gym owner claims the pair protested and were finally told that they could both get on the next flight and receive a refund for both tickets – but he still hasn’t received a penny
The couple reportedly shelled out a further £100 on a new ticket and waited four hours for the next departing flight to Palma (Pictured: Scott in Palma de Mallorca after arriving hours later)
Though the pair were assured that a refund would be processed for one of the tickets, Scott claims he has still not received it or heard from Ryanair.
He claims the experience felt like ‘discrimination,’ and that the couple were singled out because they are ‘young’ and childfree.
The fitness fanatic said he will now avoid flying with the airline due to the staff members’ ‘lack of compassion.’
Scott said: ‘Ryanair should have asked all passengers if anyone would like to volunteer their seats.
‘It felt like discrimination, how do they pick out these people, is it because we’re young and we have no kids so there’s just two of us, is it to do with something we don’t see or understand.
‘There was so much of it that was really frustrating, and it’s the lack of care, no empathy. You can be bawling your eyes out and they just don’t care, they’re dead pan.’
‘We just had to get over what happened, it was a terrible way to start a holiday.
‘They said at ticket sales they would be doing this themselves and get everything over and start the process so I haven’t formally complained.
Ryanair hit back at the couple with a hilarious post
More than 37,000 people have liked the post, and over 1,000 have commented in appreciation for the airline’s audacity.
‘I don’t think they did, I definitely haven’t got the money back. We just got caught in a big company’s terms and conditions. I would avoid it [Ryanair] if I could now. Why am I being singled out?’
Ryanair has now shared a response to Scott and Helena’s complaints, simply saying: ‘Today is a good day to separate couples onboard.’
More than 37,000 people have liked the post, and over 1,000 have commented in appreciation for the airline’s audacity.
One cheeky person commented: ‘Next time we want to break up, we’ll just book with you.’
Another knowingly added: ‘Why stop there, put em on different planes.’
And a third joked: ‘You are the reason I only fly with you when I travel with my wife!’
One person even revealed someone had once offered to swap seats on a Ryanair flight, so she could sit next to her husband.
‘I politely declined!’ she quickly added.
Scott claimed the experience felt like ‘discrimination’, and that the couple were singled out because they are ‘young’ and childfree
It comes as Ryanair is at the centre of a ‘wild’ Simpsons conspiracy on social media in the wake of the Air India crash that that killed all but one of the 242 passengers onboard.
The doomed Gatwick-bound Air India flight AI-171, which had been carrying 53 British nationals, crashed just moments after take-off on Thursday, 12 June.
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, from Leicester, miraculously survived the disaster that saw all the other passengers perish in the fireball explosion. His seat, 11A, was near the Boeing’s left engine.
Eerily, exactly one month before the crash occurred, Ryanair posted a tongue-in-cheek video to its TikTok account poking fun at its infamous 11A seat – which has no window.
