Poor Communication Left 144 Ryanair Passengers Stranded & Confused on Wrong Island
Ian MacDonald November 26, 2014
A flight diversion resulted in confusion, delays and unplanned expenses for more than 140 Ryanair flyers.
A holiday flight descended into confusion and delay for 144 Ryanair (FR) passengers after their aircraft was diverted while en route from Dublin to Lanzarote last week. According to a report from TheJournal.ie, the aircraft was unable to land at Lanzarote Airport (ACE) due to thunderstorms, so the pilot rerouted to the nearby island of Fuerteventura.
The passengers were instructed by the pilot to deplane and collect their luggage, after which they would be transported to Lanzarote on a ferry. According to the passengers, no additional instructions were given. At the terminal, some were directed to go to the Ryanair desk for ferry tickets, while others were directed to wait outside the terminal for buses by a representative who was unable to provide any information regarding ferry tickets or scheduling.
Around 30 minutes later, some of the inconvenienced passengers got on a bus for the port. Others, frustrated by the confusion and wait, elected to take taxis. When the first passengers arrived at the port, they were told that no tickets had been reserved. Without a Ryanair representative present, many passengers purchased tickets at their own expense. Upon arrival in Lanzarote, a similar experience awaited them, as they had to arrange their own transportation from the port to their hotels.
Ryanair has since apologized for the diversion and offered compensation for taxi and ferry costs, according to EVOKE.ie. The airline had a similar incident in 2010 when one of its flights from Bournemouth to Lanzarote was diverted into Fuerteventura during a thunderstorm. The biggest complaints from passenger affected by the 2010 diversion were about the lack of information and having to make their own travel arrangement to Lanzarote.
[Photo: Ryanair]
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Airline did not deliver pax to agreed upon destination. Charge back to credit card.
They offered to pay for the expenses. That is a lot better than most European legacies would handle it. Those normally claim that there was a representative 24/7 handing out vouchers and the likes and that the passengers messed up and were to blame.
Uh, it's Ryanair. If I were flying them (but I don't) I would not expect them to arrange anything. Later we can argue on who holds the bag, but urgh, Ryanair.