More than forty Ryanair passengers were left stranded at the departure gate in Budapest, despite their aircraft reportedly still being on the tarmac, in a fresh incident highlighting travel frustrations for UK holidaymakers.
Gate Closed Amid Passenger Confusion
A video shared on social media captured the chaotic scene at Budapest Airport's gate B26. The footage shows a group of distressed travellers seemingly being refused entry onto flight FR6887, which was scheduled to depart for Tirana at 14:20. An airport employee can be heard telling the crowd, 'I know, I am not happy about it either!'.
The passenger who posted the video, using the handle @xeozor21, claimed the gate was closed and boarding was denied to over 40 people while the aircraft was still at the airport. They alleged there was no final call for the flight and that they had spent an hour queuing at non-EU passport control due to slow processing.
In a detailed comment, the passenger stated they arrived at the gate at 14:00 to find it closed. They further claimed the plane subsequently waited over 30 minutes for luggage to be unloaded before it could depart, compounding the sense of injustice for those left behind.
Separate Stansted Passport Dispute
In a unrelated but similarly fraught incident, a family travelling from London Stansted to Belfast via Dublin faced major difficulties with Ryanair over identification documents. Christina Finn and her husband Cameron, travelling with their infant son, had used driving licences for an outbound easyJet flight without issue.
However, on their return journey on 5 June, Ryanair staff allegedly refused their expired passports and driving licences. Christina, a UK citizen, was told she needed a visa to fly to Dublin because Ireland is in the EU, despite the Common Travel Area agreement between the UK and Ireland.
'The woman on the phone was horrified. She said there was no need for a visa,' Christina said after contacting the Irish embassy. The airline later stated the couple had failed to check in online and presented expired passports, correctly incurring a £55 per person airport check-in fee which they refused to pay.
Airline Policy Versus Passenger Rights
These consecutive episodes underscore ongoing tensions between airline operational policies and passenger expectations. Ryanair's terms and conditions mandate a valid passport for UK-Ireland travel and online check-in, rules which the airline asserts were not followed in the Stansted case.
For the Budapest passengers, the core issue appears to be a strict gate closure policy, irrespective of the aircraft's physical presence. The Daily Mail has approached Ryanair for comment regarding the Budapest incident. These events leave travellers questioning the balance between airline efficiency and customer service, particularly during the busy summer holiday season.
