Passenger Bex took to TikTok prior to boarding her plane to complain that she had been ‘scammed’ by the airline over the £55 she had to pay to check in to her flight
A Ryanair passenger has been left gobsmacked after she claiming she was asked to pay more for her check-in fee than her flight itself.
Disgruntled traveller, Bex, took to TikTok to vent her frustration, alleging she had been “scammed” when she was charged £55 for a check-in on her £32 flight. In a video she recorded while waiting at the airport, she shared: “I’m on hold to Ryanair right now – I’ve been on hold for 20 minutes to put my phone through the scanner.”
And facing the threat of missing her plane, she slammed: “I still haven’t got through. I’ve tried two phone numbers, but can’t get through to them.” Bex speculated that the issue arose because she didn’t receive a reminder email from Ryanair, which made her forget to complete her online check-in. Nonetheless, numerous TikTok users jumped to the airline’s defence.
One user commented: “Why do you need a reminder? Don’t you know when you’re flying out? How come you weren’t able to do it online? I fly with Ryanair all the time and never had this problem.”
Echoing the sentiment, a second person remarked: “Why couldn’t you check in online? In fairness to Ryanair the whole point of being able to offer £32 flight prices is because they save money on ground staff i.e. you checking in online. It’s not a scam.”
A third TikTok user hit back: “That’s why they tell you to check in ONLINE so you don’t pay a fee in person. You have plenty of time to check in and you left it too late.” Meanwhile, a fourth user pitched in with some advice: “To be fair, I’ve flown with Ryanair. They don’t hide the fact you need to do an online check-in. They’re great as long as you play by their rules and not try and chance it.”
However, Bex did manage to find a small outpouring of sympathy online, with one user concurring: “It’s the same with Whizz Air, €40 (£33) to check in plus a €10 (£8) ‘processing fee’ because apparently pressing a few buttons is an incredibly complex €50 (£42) worth of work.”
Whilst a second shared their frustration as they recalled a similar experience: “We booked a last minute holiday going the next day. Tried the second we booked to check in but because it was less than 24 hours before we went they wouldn’t allow… £110 charge at the airport.”
Elsewhere, a helpful individual suggested a tactic for recourse: “Pay with credit card, get written evidence of communications with the company refusing to refund, then get the credit card company to do a charge back to get your money refunded.”
Ryanair has been contacted for comment.
