A Ryanair passenger has demanded a refund after being “refused boarding”, causing him to land at his destination three hours late.
Matthew Ramsden, 21, wants £257.99 from the budget airline, alleging that baggage handlers bumped him off a flight to Dublin after he requested to be the first or last person onboard due to a pre-existing injury.
Mr Ramsden has claimed that his request was rejected by Swissport after his 12.35pm flight was delayed for around two hours.
He has also alleged that he was then bumped off and booked onto a newer, later 3.15pm flight that was also slightly delayed, causing him to arrive in the Irish capital three hours late.
The consular consultant has issued the airline a deadline and a warning that legal action will follow.
Mr Ramsden, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, has given Ryanair a deadline of 4pm on Tuesday, August 29, to return his money.
He has filed his claim with the HM Courts and Tribunals Service based on the EU261 regulation entitling passengers to financial compensation from an airline if they arrive at a destination more than three hours late.
He stated that his being “refused boarding” and being moved to a later flight meant he arrived at Dublin Airport “over three hours delayed”.
He added: “Denied boarding, whether voluntary or not, makes me eligible for compensation.”
Speaking to StokeonTrentLive, Mr Ramsden said that, due to a broken back, he tried to “pre-board a plane wherever I can” but alleged that staff were “incredibly indifferent” about his condition.
He added that he didn’t “really care about the money” and was driven to take action by the customer service, which he said left him feeling he wasn’t treated like a human.
He concluded: “No communication, nobody knew what was going on, there’s no accountability. It has been a shambles from start to finish.”
Ryanair has so far refused to pay up, claiming that Mr Ramsden “voluntarily” boarded his replacement flight following an “altercation with another passenger”.
A spokesman for the airline said: “This passenger was not refused boarding on this flight from Manchester to Dublin. They voluntarily offloaded to the next available flight that afternoon due to an altercation with another passenger at the boarding gate.
“This passenger reached their final destination less than three hours after the original time of arrival and is not entitled to EU261 compensation.”
