That compulsory 14-day self-isolation for all visitors arriving in Eire is presenting a major issue for me. I'm due to travel to Kerry with RYR, but obviously cannot proceed with this on the basis of compulsory quarantine imposed upon arrival. A banner on Ryanair's website indicates that they will allow alteration of travel dates free of charge ("no flight change fee") if a customer is unable to travel on the original booked dates. But this offer seems to exclude those who booked early, as I did. When I attempt to alter my travel dates, a change fee of £60 appears (£30 each way). It makes no sense to pay this - a sum not dissimilar to the original fare - to transfer my booking to new dates which could conceivably fall foul of the same quarantine edict in turn.
I hope that Ryanair will see fit to allow ALL booked passengers to alter their travel dates without an admin fee on routes affected by a draconian restriction of this sort. It is quite impossible for most of us to travel on these terms.
As a frequent RYR customer - typically 30 to 40 sectors per year - I acknowledge that Ryanair are within their legal rights to impose a change fee. But if they do so under these circumstances, they lose the trust of customers affected. I'm not daft enough to stamp my feet and exclaim that I would never fly with Ryanair again ... of course I will. But a whiff of injustice stings, and on routes where alternatives exist, trust can swing a future booking decision. I've got the same quarantine issue with a booked EasyJet trip ... but they allow me to change the travel dates without a fee. I'll remember that. If one company helps you out of a hole and the other turns its back, who are you going to trust next time around?
No early advance booking customer could be expected to plan for a government ruling of this sort. Penalising them for it is unreasonable.