Ryanair chalks up another celebrity turn-down

[Konkordski]

RYANAIR TELLS CELEBRITY TO GET OUT OF HERE

No ID Tara Palmer Tompkinson turned away from Blackpool-bound flight

Tara Palmer Tompkinson has become the latest celebrity to be refused access to a Ryanair flight because she didn't have the right ID.

The famous "IT Girl", bra model, columnist, Bollinger babe and TV celebrity was turned away at London Stansted today (Friday June 13) for a flight to Blackpool because she didn't have a passport or new-style driving licence.

Last month Jeremy Beadle was turned away from a Ryanair flight because he too had forgotten his passport.

An unhappy Ms Tompkinson (31), most recently on our TV screens in "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here", raged at check-in staff: "Don't you know who I am"?

But Ryanair's UK Sales Manager Kathryn Munro was unapologetic: "Our policy on ID is absolutely rigid because we are the UK's most security-conscious airline.

"We make absolutely no exceptions and it doesn't matter whether you are Jeremy Beadle, Tara Palmer Tompkinson or His Holiness the Pope: if you don't have the right ID, you won't get on our aircraft."

[EyesToTheSkies]

Sounds fair enough to me; we see Joe Public being refused travel on "Airline" or "Airport" or whatever. Why should celebs be any different?

Her comment "Don't you know who I am?" reminds me of the story of the guy in the US who was wanting to jump the queue for check in. When told by the female attendant he would have to join the queue with everyone else, he shouted "Do who know who I am?"

...at which point the check in agent called to the entire queue, "Excuse me, there is a man here who doesn't know who he is; can anyone help?"

Man says "F*** you!"

Attendant says "Sorry sir, you'll have to get in line for that, too"

[MarkD]

Actually I would love to find reason to turn so-called "celebs" away even if they could prove their ident!

Say what you like about King Becks I, he can actually kick a ball. What can a TPT do, exactly?

[zapcat]

Mate ......

you r absolutely spot on....! im working 4 asian carrier now ..... but never 4 get the day ..... as positioning captain in uniform that brian may ..... yes the queen guit bloke tried 2 lite cig on dash 8 MAN 2 GLA ! .... WELL I TOLD HIM (LARGE) put it out ..... or i'll put you out ...... his minder wasn't 2 chuffed but i think he understood ........

however his ageing porn model girlfriend .... whilst trying 2 pick her tits up from her ankles .... started getting really snotty ... ( no brainer ) ......

silly slapper ... but mate ..... your right ....

no tolerance 4 tossers ...... !!!!


brgds ....

[Synthetic]

For the first time I find myself with just a hint of respect for Ryanair

[Banana99]

Her comment "Don't you know who I am?" reminds me of the story of the guy in the US who was wanting to jump the queue for check in. When told by the female attendant he would have to join the queue with everyone else, he shouted "Do who know who I am?"

...at which point the check in agent called to the entire queue, "Excuse me, there is a man here who doesn't know who he is; can anyone help?"

Man says "F*** you!"

Attendant says "Sorry sir, you'll have to get in line for that, too"

yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

[GASH !]

As a 'sand grown un' myself, I would hate to see the tone of my beloved home town lowered by the likes of Tara Palmer Partypants. :rolleyes:

[Buster the Bear]

TPT a bra model, can you make cups that small?

Well done Ryanair, those that book know the rules!

[ChrisVJ]

I think you are missing the point guys.

Is it not a sad and stupid old world when anyone has to provide a passport to get from Stanstead to Blackpool. Does it really matter whether you are Joe Bloggs, Tara what'sername or His Holiness the Pope himself if you present yourself clean, without weapons, and sober enough to be of good behaviour.

The obvious reasons for the usual documents, ie. the airline will have to fly you back if you are refused entry, would not appear to apply here, unless Blackpool is getting a lot pickier that it used to be in my day. Maybe it is now the United Republic of Blackpool, sorry, no one told me.

Sounds more like a publicity stunt by the airline to me. "Quiet day? Ok, get out there and create a scene with some celebrity, we'll be on the news tonight and all the front pages tomorrow!"

Oh yes, and that garbage about being the most secure airline? As you are the guys who are screaming so loud about not allowing cockpit visits from relatives etc, can you just tell me how not allowing Miss Tara Stupid on the plane improved their security?

I cant' stand silly celebrities either but if you think this is clever then frankly you deserve all those nasty (and stupid) aircrew searches etc.

[Nineiron]

Surely, YOU are missing the point. Photographic ID helps to ensure that the person that checks in is the same person that gets off at the other end. Many airports photograph you at security and again at the gate. I agree that its a sad state of affairs that we can't travel freely between cities in our own country, but somebody misbehaved and spoiled it for all of us.

[Dogma]

Ryan air is still a second rate, as we say in Eire ****e out fit:yuk:

[batty]

When you book a flight on Ryanair THE TERMS ARE THERE IN BLACK AND WHITE if people choose to ignore them then they dont travel. I doesnt matter who they are.

So TPT turns up for a transatlantic flight from LHR for example with no passport should she travel because the check in staff recognise her??? :mad:

[Rob_L]

How does Ryanair tell if a passport is fake or not? Apparently 20,000 have gone missing in the uk in the last 12 months.

Recognising TPT is far safer than Joe Bloggs with a fake passport.
Their are so many people in the UK with false ID that a passport is about as much use for identifcation purposes as a Mickey Mouse club membership card.

If I was a foreign airline I wouldnt except any British national, the passport and identity system has been totally compromised!!!!!!!!

[DCS99]

But Ryanair's UK Sales Manager Kathryn Munro was unapologetic: "Our policy on ID is absolutely rigid because we are the UK's most security-conscious airline.

She may have been misquoted, but don't boast about security. It's not a competition.

[cwatters]

> When you book a flight on Ryanair THE TERMS ARE THERE IN
> BLACK AND WHITE if people choose to ignore them then they
> dont travel. I doesnt matter who they are.

Ah but you don't think someone like Tara Palmer Tompkinson actually books her own tickets do you?

[MerchantVenturer]

Rob_L,

I wouldn't have a clue who this woman is so certainly would not pass her if I were a check-in agent.

She sounds something of a plastic 'personality' anyway from what others have written in this thread.

If you are going to allow so-called celebrities to break the rules because check-in agents should know them, then the same thing should apply to check-in agents' relatives, friends, acquaintances and anyone else they might know by sight: which is clearly as ludicrous as allowing the likes of Ms Tomkinson or whatever her name is through on the nod.

[AJ]

I'm surprised TPT was flying Ryanair in the first place!! :p

[Anti-ice]

Not a huge choice of carriers on the lucrative stansted-blackpool run i suppose.:D :D

At least its 2 Ryanair destinations i do recognize:D :D

[Xenia]

http://utenti.lycos.it/faccedainternet/faccine/mad/force96.gif
Hello all! http://utenti.lycos.it/faccedainternet/faccine/angeli/biggrinangelA.gif

Uhmmmm ..... I rekkon rules apply for everyone! celebrities or not.
Even my wonderful self have to show ID (with picture) every time I travel offduty, dead heading or for pleasure ... http://utenti.lycos.it/faccedainternet/faccine/biggrin/LolLolLolLol.gif .
Let's stop childish critizism on Ryan, and let's give them a clap for the security measures .... silly or not, after september 11 life has changed for all of us, the memory of it should still be alive and burning inside everyone ... http://utenti.lycos.it/faccedainternet/faccine/tristi/26_crying.gif common people, flight crew, airlines and .... celebrities as well.

[angels]

Fully agree Xenia.

At least Ryanair (and they're an outfit I don't have much time for) are consistent on this one.

And, yes, it's fun to see second rate celebs trying the 'don't you know who I am?' line and being told to get lost.

[Chef]

Sounds more like a publicity stunt by the airline to me. "Quiet day? Ok, get out there and create a scene with some celebrity, we'll be on the news tonight and all the front pages tomorrow!"

Chrisvj

Yes it was on the news but there is not a quiet day at the FR check-in area it is always buzzing No punn intended!!!, FR do not check-in the pax PSA's do in the FR uniform.

Nineiron i would agree it is a sad state of affairs but sadly this is the direction we are going in, i feel that most would agree with the increased checks on Photo ID and FR policy, and at least it is black & white perhaps a little harse with what types of ID they accept international sudent ID but not a forces ID?????:confused: but that is for another thread. Lets give ryanair a break.

[Gaza]

The Photo ID "for Security reasons" is pure clap-trap. The full service carriers don't see a need for it so why do the low cost carriers? I will tell you. They don't want people making bookings a very low fares and then passing them on to others at a later date. easyJet supposedly had issues in the early days with companies making bookings in the name of a traveller who may or may not actually use the ticket at very cheap rates. If the original pax could not use the flight it could be passed on to someone else at no cost.

[Xenia]

Whatever the reason is, if they ask for it you should give it .... no matter who on earth you are http://utenti.lycos.it/faccedainternet/faccine/lingua/crazy.gif
In Italy we have to give picture ID even for domestic flights (it has been always like that) and passport for international flights. Some picture IDs are valid to travel inside EU.
... If someone doesn't like to give their own ID to Ryan Air ... easy ... just don't fly with them and the problem is simply solved! http://utenti.lycos.it/faccedainternet/faccine/felici/yup.gif

[StarAllianceGold]

Gaza's spot on. The ID requirement has nothing at all to do with security. It's purely and simply to make sure that tickets cannot be transferred to anyone other than the person it was bought for.

This doesn't improve security it just allows Ryanair (and easyJet) to ensure that they bring some extra cash in through change fees.

It infuriates me when people automatically bring up "security" or "9/11" to defend policies which do not make flying any safer.

I've no issue with the airlines enforcing these policies (otherwise people could make a living selling tickets on eBay). But don't claim that the policy somehow improves security.

Nick

[ratsarrse]

Ryanair's policy would be fair enough if we had a legitimate national photo ID. Note everyone has a driving licence, and many that do have a licence won't necessarily have the photocard type. OK, you can use your passport, but you SHOULDN'T have to carry your passport to travel within your own country. As for student ID, well that's just laughable. Anyone could knock out a student card on their computer. They might as well accept my Blockbuster card.

[PAXboy]

Thanks for that Rats. neatly put. Whilst I am not bothered about using my passport on an internal journey, I am concerned that I am carrying a valuable document and risking it's theft when I could use a simpler document.

I have just applied for the photocard licence but have heard that they still send you back a piece of paper and that the plastic is not valid without the paper! I'll let you know as it sounds like a horribly British way to do things. :(

A national photocard would be a much better idea than a plan to ensure that we have not sold the internal ticket to a friend. :mad:

Security?? My Rats@rrse!!!

[Pax Vobiscum]

Hi Paxboy

If you ever have to produce your photocard driving licence for the old bill, you'll need both parts (the paper bit has endorsements etc). But as a proof of identity the plastic bit with photo has always worked for me at banks and such (though I've not tried it with Ryanair).

Best

PV

[Dop]

So what on earth does this Tara Rara Boomdeay do anyway? I know she's some kind of minor celeb, but I've never really known why.

[Tim_CPL]

Very OT now, but a reminder of how petty some are....

Just to muddy the waters, I went into the post office for something very trivial like a fishing licence (it wasn't but for the life of me I can't remember what it was, apart from the fact I needed some ID). No problem I thought, I'll just take along that nice photo ID. Not so nice lady behind the 1/2" bullet-proff glass refused to accept just the photo ID bit, but insisted parrot like that she needed to see both parts. Since the paper bit had absolutely NO bearing on the transaction at hand, I stood my ground and demanded to speak to the grinder and not the monkey. Out comes Pat the head postmaster, who after vaguely trying to defend this pathetic rule, agreed it was stupid and said he would let it pass this time. So next time, don't forget to slip that 6" long paper bit into your wallet if you are planning on using the photo licence for anything other than scraping the ice off the car on a frosty morning!

[asiolgw]

The reason that Ryanair requires photo ID in the form of a passport or photo driving licence is that they have been hit very hard by online ticket fraud, commited by criminals using stolen or fraudulantly obtained credit cards to purchase their e-tickets.

[Bob Brown]

I guess that the Queen would be refused travel then. Lat time I heard, she does not have a passport or licence, and even if she did get one during the War when driving the ambulances, would she have changed it to show her new address?

[BALIX]

Ah, but the Queen is unlikely to fly Ryanair, even as a cost saving measure. Maybe EasyJet... :oh:

I suspect she is well known to those who run The Queen's Flight to get away without ID. I hope the corgis have been microchipped, though, as one corgi looks much like all the others and who can say if one of them is an Iraqi smart bomb or not :ok:

[MerchantVenturer]

The Queen shouldn't have too much trouble with Ryanair.

She'll borrow a fiver from one of her aides and use that as her identity confirmation. If there's a still a doubt she'll get a tenner as well.

I would hope though, that in view of her age, she will not be expected to join the race to the aircraft for the best seats. If she does have to run for it and her Ole Man is with her I can imagine a few choice words from him commenting on MOL's parentage.

If things go well with Mum and Dad I can see her eldest son using FR to take his lads to the ski slopes this winter. Either that or a package with Thomson Holidays.

[knobbygb]

The reason that Ryanair requires photo ID in the form of a passport or photo driving licence is that they have been hit very hard by online ticket fraud
Well, fair enough! If thats the real reason, why lie and blame it on security? There's obviously a financial reason for rules like this, whether it be credit card fraud or just the passing on of unwanted tickets. What they are in effect doing (and I mean all the lo-co's, not just Ryan) is basically making an extra few quid from September 11th which is disgraceful.

I'm sure BA etc. have the same fraud problems. For domestic flights, I buy an E-ticket online with credit card, check in at a machine and never see the checkin staff. Why are BA less likely to have the same problems as Ryanair? Answer - they aren't, it's just that they don't stoop so low to make a few quid in the name of security!

Oh, and just in case - I totally agree that however stupid the rule, it should be applied equally to everyone - well done Ryanair for that, at least.

[MarkD]

Methinks FR are looking at carrier liability for migrants entering without papers, which Ireland is enacting soon, for instance...

MOL would certainly not be happy at paying £,000s for a Liberian who paid 1 euro for his ticket!

[Momo]

BTW, MOL is interviewed on the last page of the June 23 issue of Newsweek. Surprising quote below. I wonder what the data source is...

"We're also the No. 1 customer-service airline in Europe. We're No. 1 for on-time flights, No. 1 for fewest cancellations, No. 1 for fewest lost bags and No. 1 for fewest customer complaints".

Momo

[PAXboy]

MoL from Newsweek: "We're also the No. 1 customer-service airline in Europe. yadda yadda".

No 1 by who's rating?
No 1 by who's independent assesment?
No 1 by which agreed method?

The man is clever, this sounds like the 'worlds favourite airline' which was peddled so successfully for so many years. If he keeps on saying it and putting it on his web site - it will be difficult to challenge because of the impossibility of making an accurate cross-carrier comparison.