Q) I booked three flights with Ryanair to Tenerife.
Four months later the airline told me the flight times had changed and I asked for a refund.
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Ryanair has refused, saying I bought through an online travel agent, which isn’t true.
Can you make them listen?
Paul Baker, Immingham, Lincs
A) You booked flights from Manchester to Tenerife to enjoy some winter sun with two friends.
The trip was meant to take place during the World Cup in Qatar last November as you were hoping to watch some of the matches together on TV.
The flight was meant to depart at 2.15pm, but months after booking, Ryanair brought it forward to 6.40am.
Getting to the airport two hours before that to check in was not what you’d had in mind for a relaxing holiday.
But Ryanair’s email gave you the option of cancelling and getting a full refund, so you decided to do that.
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When you buy a flight, you agree to accept any small changes.
But if there is a “significant” amendment – such as your departure time shifting by several hours – you should be offered a different flight or a refund.
Ryanair insisted you had booked through an online travel agent.
It has a different process for issuing those refunds – but you had paid Ryanair directly and showed them your bank statements to prove it.
After three months, you got a refund on one of the bookings, amounting to £210.
But you were still without the £475 you’d paid for the other two, which you’d booked in a separate transaction.
Ryanair said the money had been sent to your bank account – but nothing arrived.
I contacted the airline and within two days you received emails stating that the refunds had been processed.
The £475 arrived in your account a couple of days later.
You said: “This was a significant amount of money for me.
“Without your help I was never going to get it back.
“I cannot thank you enough.”
To show your gratitude you made a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Ryanair didn’t respond to my requests for a comment.
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