Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick were due to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain when they claimed they were bumped from the Ryanair flight
A holidaymaker discovered that a common method to save money on Ryanair flights backfired – when he was booted off without a refund as he ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’.
Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, both 33, were due to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event. Scott said they had not paid to reserve seats – which typically costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat – because it was a short two-hour flight and they didn’t mind if they didn’t sit together.
Everything went as normal, with the couple the first in the boarding queue. Then a Ryanair staff member approached them and asked if they would step aside while the rest of the passengers boarded. The staff member reportedly told the couple the flight was full and that there was only one available seat left.
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Scott said the two had a ‘meltdown’ as they had wanted to travel together, but said a staff member claimed it was because they ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’. 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.
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. After sharing his ordeal on social media, many suggested Scott and Helena were singled out because they had not reserved seats – suggesting a technique many use to keep fares low could end up costing people more.
Scott, 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.
“We turned up, everything went as normal, went through security as normal, went to the gate after waiting a couple of hours and 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’.
“We stepped to the side and watched all the people board the flight. I asked her to tell us what is going to happen and she said ‘no’. 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.’
“We were having a meltdown at this point. 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. We said we wanted to get on the next flight together. They said ‘you can do that, we will fully reimburse both tickets and put you on the next flight for free’.”
Scott claimed that when they went down to the booking desk, one of the tickets was put down as missed flight, meaning they had to pay for one seat on a new plane.
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The couple claimed they had to fork out another £100 for the new ticket and waited around four hours to board the next flight to Palma. The ‘angry’ holidaymaker claims the experience felt like discrimination as he felt the couple got singled out for being young and without kids.
Scott said he will now avoid flying with Ryanair due to the staff’s lack of compassion and empathy. While a Ryanair staff member reportedly told the couple that a refund would be processed for one of the tickets, Scott claims he has still not received it or heard from the company.
He 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 deadpan. We had to go through check-in again and we had another four and a half hours until the next flight. We paid around £100.
“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. 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. The biggest stress was at the gate when they said we aren’t going on this flight.
When Scott shared his ordeal on social media, many were shocked to hear that airlines might overbook a flight – though some suggested reserving a seat can help avoid being ‘singled out’ for not getting aboard.
One said: “Prepay for a seat, then problem solved. ALL airlines do this.” When someone suggested queuing early to ensure you get a seat, another responded: “Or just book your seat [laughing emoji].”
Airlines tend to overbook flights as not all passengers turn up on the day. When a flight is so overbooked that passengers are denied boarding or offloaded, the airline will usually ask for volunteers. But if no-one comes forward, each airline will deny boarding to passengers in line with its own policies.
Your chances of being bumped may be increased if if you’re travelling alone or without luggage, have paid the lowest fare or were the last to check-in. Airlines are legally obliged to pay you compensation if they deny you boarding or bump you from a flight because they’ve overbooked it.
Ryanair has been contacted for comment.