PIC FROM Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching (PICTURED: SCOTT MCCORMICK, 33, WITH GIRLFRIEND, HELENA BOSHWICK, 33, ON HOLIDAY IN PALMA DE MALLORCA) A horrified holidaymaker discovered that a common hack to save money on Ryanair flights backfired – when he was booted off without a refund as he ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’. Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, 33, were due to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event. The 33-year-old said they had not pay to reserve seats – which typically costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat – because it was a short two-hour flight and they didn’t mind if they didn’t sit together. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY – 0161 697 4266 (Image: Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching)
A vacationer was left shocked when his try to save lots of money on Ryanair flights backfired, leading to him being kicked off the plane with out a refund as a result of he ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’.
Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, each 33, had been scheduled to jet off from Birmingham Airport to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on May 1 for a week-long vacation and fitness center mentorship occasion. Scott defined that they’d opted to not pay for seat reservations – which often vary from £4.50 ($6) to £33 ($45) per seat – because it was simply a two-hour flight and so they did not thoughts sitting individually.
The couple’s journey began off easily, with them being first in line for boarding. However, issues took a flip when a Ryanair worker requested them to step apart whereas the remainder of the passengers boarded.
The workers member allegedly knowledgeable the couple that the flight was totally booked and just one seat remained accessible.
Scott recounted how they each had a ‘meltdown’ as they’d supposed to travel collectively, however had been informed by a workers member that the difficulty arose as a result of they ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’. The fitness center proprietor alleges that after protesting, they had been lastly informed they might each board the subsequent flight and obtain a refund for his or her tickets.
Ryanair 9H-VUM Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 takes off from Brussels – Zaventem International Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto through Getty Images) (Image: NurPhoto through Getty Images)
However, when the couple returned to the verify-in desk, they had been reportedly informed they nonetheless needed to pay for one of the tickets. To add insult to harm, Scott claims he by no means obtained the promised refund.
A spokesperson for Ryanair has since acknowledged that since Helena was nonetheless booked on the unique flight, she was required to pay a £100 ($135) missed departure charge to board the later flight along with her accomplice.
After sharing his expertise on social media, many advised that Scott and Helena had been singled out as a result of they’d not reserved seats – implying that a common strategy utilized by many to keep fares low might finish up costing more.
Scott, hailing from Birmingham, West Midlands, mentioned: “We checked in the night before and we didn’t reserve a seat but you normally just get a random one. Me and my partner thought it’s not that much of a problem if we’re not sitting together for a two-hour flight, we’re adults here.
“We arrived, every thing proceeded as common, went by security as regular, went to the gate after ready a couple of hours and we had been the primary ones on the gate prepared for boarding. The woman scanned our boarding passes and informed us to step to the facet for a second. That second was a purple flag, I believed, ‘there’s one thing occurring right here.’
“We stepped to the side and watched all the people board the flight. I asked her to tell us what is going to happen and she said ‘no’. When everyone boarded, she said, ‘the plane is full, there’s only one seat remaining and we will have to reimburse you for the other seat or you’ll have to get on the next flight.'”
“We were having a meltdown at this point. There was no compassion or care whatsoever. After going back and forth we said we’re not going to take separate flights and be in separate countries for hours. We said we wanted to get on the next flight together. They said ‘you can do that, we will fully reimburse both tickets and put you on the next flight for free.'”
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PIC FROM Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching (PICTURED: SCOTT MCCORMICK, 33, WITH GIRLFRIEND, HELENA BOSHWICK, 33, ON HOLIDAY IN PALMA DE MALLORCA) A horrified holidaymaker discovered that a common hack to save money on Ryanair flights backfired – when he was booted off without a refund as he ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’. Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, 33, were due to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event. The 33-year-old said they had not pay to reserve seats – which typically costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat – because it was a short two-hour flight and they didn’t mind if they didn’t sit together. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY – 0161 697 4266 (Image: Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching)
Scott claimed that upon arrival on the reserving desk, one of the tickets was marked as a missed flight, which compelled them to purchase one seat on a new plane.
The couple alleged they needed to shell out an further £100 for a new ticket and endured a 4-hour wait earlier than boarding their subsequent flight to Palma. The upset traveler believes they confronted discrimination as a result of he thinks they had been focused for being younger and childless.
Scott declared his intention to stop flying with Ryanair, citing the workers’s obvious lack of compassion and empathy. Although a Ryanair workers member purportedly assured the couple that a refund for one of the tickets can be processed, Scott affirms that he has but to obtain it or any communication from the airline.
He acknowledged: “Ryanair should have asked all passengers if anyone would like to volunteer their seats. It felt like discrimination, how do they pick out these people, is it because we’re young and we have no kids so there’s just two of us, is it to do with something we don’t see or understand.
“There was a lot of it that was actually irritating, and it is the shortage of care, no empathy. You may be bawling your eyes out and so they simply do not care, they’re deadpan. We needed to undergo verify-in again and we had one other 4 and a half hours till the subsequent flight. We paid round £100.
“We just had to get over what happened, it was a terrible way to start a holiday. They said at ticket sales they would be doing this themselves and get everything over and start the process so I haven’t formally complained. I don’t think they did, I definitely haven’t got the money back.
“We simply received caught in a massive company’s phrases and situations. The largest stress was on the gate once they mentioned we aren’t occurring this flight.”
When Scott aired his grievances on social media, many were taken aback by the revelation that airlines might overbook flights – though some suggested reserving a seat could prevent being ‘singled out’ for not boarding.
One user advised: “Prepay for a seat, then drawback solved. ALL airways do that.”
When an early queue was proposed as a solution to secure a seat, another retorted: “Or simply book your seat [laughing emoji].”
PIC FROM Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching (PICTURED: SCOTT MCCORMICK, 33, WITH GIRLFRIEND, HELENA BOSHWICK, 33, ON HOLIDAY IN PALMA DE MALLORCA) A horrified holidaymaker discovered that a common hack to save money on Ryanair flights backfired – when he was booted off without a refund as he ‘hadn’t reserved a seat’. Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, 33, were due to fly from Birmingham Airport on May 1 to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event. The 33-year-old said they had not pay to reserve seats – which typically costs between £4.50 and £33 per seat – because it was a short two-hour flight and they didn’t mind if they didn’t sit together. DISCLAIMER: While Kennedy News and Media uses its best endeavours to establish the copyright and authenticity of all pictures supplied, it accepts no liability for any damage, loss or legal action caused by the use of images supplied and the publication of images is solely at your discretion. SEE KENNEDY NEWS COPY – 0161 697 4266 (Image: Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching)
Airlines often overbook flights as not all passengers show up on the day. In cases where a flight is excessively overbooked leading to passengers being denied boarding or offloaded, the airline typically requests volunteers.
However, if there are no takers, each airline will deny boarding to passengers according to its own policies.
Your likelihood of being bumped might increase if you’re traveling solo, without luggage, purchased the cheapest fare, or were the last to check-in. Airlines are legally required to compensate you if they deny you boarding or bump you from a flight due to overbooking.
A spokesperson for Ryanair clarified: “This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (1 May) was not ‘overbooked’ – it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) however for operational causes needed to be swapped to a 737-800 plane (189 seats). As a outcome, one passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was reaccommodated onto the subsequent accessible flight to Palma de Mallorca.
“Mr. McCormick’s travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight. Mr. McCormick was notified by email on the day of travel (1 May) that he was entitled to claim back reasonable receipted expenses, however Mr. McCormick has yet to submit any expense receipts to Ryanair.”
