Fresh warning to anyone booking flights with Ryanair
People flying with Ryanair have been warned ahead of booking their flights after one man was left out of pocket for a tiny mistake.
The busiest airline in all of Europe, Ryanair flies millions of people across the continent as they go on city breaks, head for the beach, or just visit friends and family.
Based in Dublin, the Irish company is incredibly popular because of its budget offerings.
Advert
Gone are the days where premium prices were the only option with flights for the likes of £13 to the 'Venice of the North'. And then there's the 'Hawaii of Europe' for under £20 each way.
Well if you're looking to fly out this summer and have yet to book your flights, make sure you don't make a really simple error that saw one man left €100 (£84) out of pocket.
Calling in to the Liveline with Joe Duffy radio show in Ireland, the holidaymaker issued a big warning when it came to booking your flights with a gift card.
Like many companies Ryanair offers gift cards for people looking to give their loved ones or mates a trip to the sun.
But the lad, called Noel Welch, made a big error in buying one for his parents. And it all came down to the words on the gift card itself with it addressed to his mum and dad.
Noel explained: "On the card, it says, 'mam dad Welch', and Ryanair don't recognise that as a real passenger name.
"So they wouldn't honour the voucher for €100.
"I have been onto them on a few occasions and they said they could only change two letters.
"It's just a warning really for people that are buying gift cards, maybe coming up now for Father's Day on Sunday or for birthdays, anniversaries or even Christmas at the end of the year."
Others also rang in to the radio show about the very same issue, with two callers saying theirs did not work in similar circumstances.
Ryanair says: "The name specified for the Gift Card recipient must be identical to the name on the recipient’s passport, driving license, or any other form of personal identification.
"If the names do not match, the Gift Card will not be redeemable.
"While name changes are not permitted on Gift Cards, we will accommodate minor spelling corrections, provided we reasonably believe you are correcting a mistake and not trying to change the recipient’s name to someone else."
In a turn of events, Ryanair has looked in to Noel's situation and things have, on this occasion, have a happy ending.
A Ryanair spokesperson told LADbible: “This voucher was purchased under an incorrect name 'Mam Dad Welch' on 9 December 2023. Mr. Noel Welch contacted customer service on the 26 May to request a name change to Noel Welch.
"This name change has been actioned and issued to the new email address as requested, by the person who made the original gift card purchase. We look forward to welcoming Mr. Welch on board his Ryanair flight."
Tom Earnshaw