Couple removed from Ryanair flight after trying to save money with seats hack

Scott McCormick, 33, and his girlfriend were due to fly to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, last Sunday – but were told to step aside when they tried to board the plane

A vacationer found out the hard way that a popular trick to save money on Ryanair flights can backfire when he was kicked off without a refund because he ‘hadn’t reserved a seat.’

Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, both 33, were all set to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event. Scott shared that they hadn’t paid to reserve seats – which usually costs between £4.50 ($6) and £33 ($45) per seat – as it was just a short two-hour flight and they didn’t mind not sitting together.

Ryanair is known for its low-cost tickets, but you have to give up certain luxuries like free carry-ons. With “standing-only” seats now on the market, it could become the first airline to take the charge.

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Everything seemed normal, with the couple being the first in line to board. But then a Ryanair staff member asked them to step aside while the rest of the passengers got on the plane.

The staff member reportedly told the couple that the flight was full and there was only one seat left.

Scott said they both had a ‘meltdown’ as they wanted to travel together, but a staff member insisted it was because they ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’. The gym-owner claims they protested and were finally told that they could both catch the next flight and receive a refund for their tickets.

Scott and Helena faced a travel nightmare when they arrived at the airport, despite having checked in online the night before without reserving seats. After going to the check-in desk again, they were informed that only one of them could board the flight and no immediate refund was offered for the other ticket.

Scott detailed their ordeal on social media, pointing out how not booking specific seats, a common tactic to save money, might end up being more expensive.

Scott shared his frustration, saying, “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 continued, “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’.”

Scott then described their confusion, “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.'”

Scott recounted their ordeal, saying: “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’.”

However, when they reached the booking desk, Scott discovered one of the tickets was marked as a missed flight, forcing them to purchase another seat.

The couple ended up paying an extra £100 ($135) for a new ticket and endured a four-hour wait for their flight to Palma. Scott expressed his frustration, feeling targeted by Ryanair for being a young couple without children.

He criticized Ryanair’s approach, suggesting they should have sought volunteers to give up their seats instead of seemingly singling out certain passengers. Scott has vowed to avoid flying with the airline again due to what he perceives as a lack of empathy from the staff.

Despite assurances from a Ryanair representative about a refund for one ticket, Scott claims he has yet to receive it or any communication from the airline.

He lamented: “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.”

A passenger named Scott took to social media to vent his frustration after an airline’s apathy left him and his travel companion out of pocket and reeling from a holiday-starting hicote. He recounted, “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.”

Other travellers chimed in online with their own tips for avoiding such inconvenient situations, often caused by common airline practice of overbooking flights. One person advised, “Prepay for a seat, then problem solved. ALL airlines do this.”

In response to a suggestion about arriving early to secure a spot on board, someone humorously replied, “Or just book your seat [laughing emoji].”

In cases of overbooked flights, airlines typically request volunteers to give up their seats before denying boarding based on their policies, making seat reservations potentially more crucial than ever.

If you’re traveling solo, without luggage, purchased the cheapest ticket, or were the last to check-in, your odds of being bumped from a flight might be higher. Airlines are legally required to compensate passengers if they are denied boarding or removed from an overbooked flight.

A spokesperson for Ryanair clarified: “This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (1 May) was not ‘overbooked’ – it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) but for operational reasons had to be swapped to a 737-800 aircraft (189 seats). As a result, one passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was reaccommodated onto the next available flight to Palma de Mallorca.

“Mr. McCormick’s travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight. Mr. McCormick was notified by email on the day of travel (1 May) that he was entitled to claim back reasonable receipted expenses, however Mr. McCormick has yet to submit any expense receipts to Ryanair.”

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