'I'll never fly Ryanair again' - stranded passenger
A Derry man, who was left stranded after his Derry-bound flight was diverted to Dublin, has said he'll never fly with Ryanair again because of how they treated the passengers.
Richard Porter was responding to an article printed in Tuesday’s “Journal” in which Ryanair responded to complaints from passengers about how they were left at Dublin Airport.
He said: “Ryanair walked away and buried their heads in the sand. There were a lot of elderly people travelling on their own and a few people in wheelchairs. It would have broken your heart to see it.”
Mr. Porter said some passengers clubbed together to help others book into hotels rather than be forced to spend the night in the airport.
More than 150 passengers were on the evening flight from London Stansted to Derry which was diverted last Thursday after adverse weather conditions closed City of Derry Airport and both of Belfast’s airports.
Weather conditions
Ryanair told the ‘Journal’ that, due to the weather conditions, no coach operator was willing to make the journey back to Derry. Passengers were eventually collected by coach at 7.30am the next morning.
The Dublin-based airline also said that passengers were informed of their rights under EU legislation and that they would be refunded for any hotel and food and drink expenses.
This is disputed by Mr. Porter, who said that he and other passengers he spoke to were left in the dark.
‘Blatant disregard’
“Ryanair could do nothing about the weather, it was what happened after they discovered they couldn’t land at City of Derry Airport that was the problem. To my mind, they showed a blatant disregard for the elderly and very young on that flight. As far as I’m concerned, all they told us was that we were to make our own way back.”
Mr. Porter said that the majority of passengers were left to spend the night in an airport lounge. Some clubbed together to get vulnerable people into hotels.
“There were people there who did not have the money or credit cards needed to check into hotels,” he said. “A lot of passengers took those who were struggling over to the hotel and paid for their accommodation. If it hadn’t been for the good-hearted nature of passengers they would have been stuck there all night.
“I can safely say I will never be flying with Ryanair again.”
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Weather for Derry
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South east
