Ryanair-advice please
 

Friends have a flight booked with Ryanair out of Bournemouth to AGP. They have family accommodation there.This was done prior to Spain becoming persona non grata according to the Foreign Office advice with the now 14 day quarantine on return to the U.K. Back in July O'Leary stated "use it or lose it". No cancellations of flights and no refunds, although Ryanair would waive a flight change fee, nope this couple have been advised on Ryanair website of a £100 charge plus the flight change would only be valid until December 2020.

Having done an in depth analysis I feel this couple have few options.
1. If the flight is cancelled then they'd get a refund.
2. If the flight number has changed from their original booking, they can get their money back.
3. Should (1/2) not be so, then they've lost their money should they not take the flight.
4. Paid by credit card should enable them a refund considering the Foreign Office have placed Spain on the "no-go" list.

So everyone, I would appreciate your thoughts and advice on this conundrum.

Many thanks.........

I don't understand your list of "options".

If the flight operates and your friends don't fly, then (3) applies - your friends will lose their money. They don't have option (4) of a credit card refund.

I did wonder if, as the Foreign Office has now deemed Spain as "essential travel only" and this couple booked during the "air-bridge" timeline then a C.C. refund maybe applicable. Thank you for your wise words. K.

Many years ago I took a Ryanair flight BOH-ALC-BOH. Never again, anywhere whatever the price with them. As a retired C.C. trainer I was mortified with the poor/lackadaisical standard of the C.C. One must only applaud the Flight Crew who, presumably were and are unaware of their woeful shortcomings.

I agree but, each year they have a new set of customers who leave school and want to travel as cheaply as possible. They have a fabulous approach and system. They are the first company I have seen that openly make it clear that they do not care. Just pay the basic and follows the rules. If you don't, they will charge you more.

From an inside sorce FR numbers booked for Spanish flights are quite high but on the day hardly any turn up. So no refunds given, fuel saved. Win win for FR.

There lies the cause of your problem ... Please choose your friends more carefully in future :)

Whatever the T&C'[s of their booking, or Ryanair at the time of their booking, dictated, they've got no comeback with a credit card providing that the T&C's have been adhered with, Spain is open for travel to, UK is open for return to, nothing is preventing them from travelling!

My thanks to everyone who replied to my query, very kind and thoughtful of you :-) I'll now pass the information over to my friends.

I was in the same situation as above, booked to AGP and then the advice changed. They were offering a free change, but not if you were travelling within 7 days, which I was. I chose to pay the £90 per person to move the flights to next year to another destination, yes I was annoyed at having to fork out some extra money but I would rather have paid to change that lose the whole lot. I had to de-check in which I did via the online chat app and they were super helpful and quick in doing so.

I really don't understand the RYR bashers. Have flown with then many many times and it seems that the only people that complain are the ones that don't read the small print or simply don't like the rules and charges. When buying a ticket with them you are agreeing to their terms and fees, this is what makes it cheap! If you book and stick to the terms you can get some bargain deals.

If your Pals booked these flights pre- any covid FCO advice then they should be able to claim for their losses from their Travel Ins Co.

Even if RYR are still operating the flights, travel on these for us Brits contravenes the FCO advice re no non-essential travel to all of Spain UFN.

Secondly if RYR fails or refuses to provide a full refund for said circumstances (as they should with the FCO advice ruling) then one can also make a claim for full recompense from their credit card bank. (Charge-back section 75) some Debit cards also provide this protection.

Sorry, can you clarify your point there? Why should Ryanair offer a full refund? It seems quite simple, but everyone forgets this. It is the passenger's responsibility to be eligible to fly, not the airlines. If you show up at the airport without your passport, should they offer you a refund? What if you get to the airport without the visa needed, should they offer you a refund? This is the same realm as those examples, the only difference is it is out of the passengers' hands and in the governments. The airline is certainly not at fault far as I see, the correct answer as you said earlier is its a travel insurance issue. Of course most have been lucky and have had a schedule change which then becomes airline fault

Charge back applies to goods or a service not supplied, but if the customer chooses not to fly, the service has been supplied by the airline, but declined by the customer who now would not be eligible to claim charge back.

How about our wish not to be boarded as if we are cattle, to sit in upholstered seats of a non-gaudy colour scheme that actually recline and to be offered a choice of refreshments other than curled up sandwiches and warm beer!

Their flights were booked in June when travel was deemed as OK by the Foreign Office.
As of today, they're trying the charge back route having been sent round in circles by 'phone and email these last few weeks by Ryanair.

but they're not entitled to a charge back because they chose not to travel, the airline didn't cancel the flight.

Please mind language. There is no need to insult people. This year is bad enough as it is.