An elderly British couple who flew Ryanair last week claim they were charged £110, or about $140, to print their boarding passes for a flight from Central London to France.
Ruth Jaffe, 79, and Peter Jaffe, 80, allegedly used the discount airline’s app to download their boarding passes, though they accidentally downloaded their return flight rather than their outgoing flight, the couple’s daughter explained on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As per Ryanair’s check-in policy, passengers who do not check in online at least two hours before their flight will have to pay about $70 per passenger extra to obtain their boarding passes in person.
Thus, the Jaffes were charged $140 “for 2 pieces of paper which took 1 minute [to print],” their daughter — who goes by Old School House Venosc on X — wrote in a thread on the platform.
“Shame on you,” she added of the exorbitant fee, claiming her parents had already paid an additional $30 so that her mother could sit next to her disabled father.
However, despite the disastrous — and costly — check-in, her parents still reportedly didn’t even get to sit side by side on their flight.
“My mum made a mistake while trying to check-in. You told her she wouldn’t sit next to her disabled husband if she didn’t pay extra so she tried. It then checked her in for the return flight only. They sat separately after paying £110,” the daughter added in a thread.
“I thought it was absolutely disgusting but I had no option so paid up. It was very stressful,” Ruth told The Telegraph of the experience.
Ruth added that she and the rest of her family “are refusing to go on Ryanair” for any future flights.
The low-cost airline carrier responded to the Jaffes’ qualms via a statement posted to X that said the couple agreed to the check-in fee at the time of booking.
“All passengers traveling with Ryanair agree to check-in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email/SMS, reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure,” the statement read.
“We regret that these passengers ignored their email reminder and failed to check in online.”
Ryanair’s site also reiterates that passengers who do not check in online at least two hours before their flight will have to pay extra to obtain their boarding passes in person.
Its table of fees also indicates that travelers flying with an infant will be subjected to a $32 (£25) fee while checking large equipment like ski gear, golf clubs, or a bike could cost anywhere from $51 (£40) to $95 (£75).
The Post has reached out to RyanAir for comment.
A flock of social media users who saw the Jaffe couple’s story have commented on the horrifying experience.
“I would rather swim than fly Ryanair,” one user wrote. “They left me stranded in an airport and told me to sleep on the floor as they had no more hotel vouchers left. I didn’t get a refund or anything. They’re hideous.”
“The cheapest airline will eventually cost you the most,” another commented, while another chimed in: “This sounds like a nightmare airline.”
Others, however, lambasted the Jaffes’ daughter for not helping her parents.
“I’m annoyed that you didn’t help your parents in the first place,” one onlooker commented.
“Maybe just maybe you could have helped. The rules are very clear and apply to everyone. Get over it,” another tweeted.
A third user echoed the sentiment, adding: “Rules are rules.”
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