A fuming couple have vowed to 'never fly' with Ryanairagain following a 'nightmare' experience on their way back from holiday.
The pair were due to fly back to Manchester from Faro Airportin Portugalon Tuesday night at 10pm - but were left 'standing on the tarmac' for around an hour while the plane was inspected. Then, after the long wait, they were sent back to the terminal - and informed that the flight had been cancelled. The couple were left to sleep on the airport floor until the next flight the following morning along with 200 other passengers, as there was no accommodation available.
One of them told Manchester Evening News: "We were made to stand there with no information at all, for nearly an hour, like sheep, with nobody telling us anything."
"Just after midnight, the pilot said there was a fault with the plane and that they were 'really sorry but the flight was cancelled'. He said Ryanair would provide hotels and refreshments and told us all to go back to the gate.
"Then, as we were walking across the tarmac, we got a text message saying that the next flight will be at 6.05am. This was at about 1am by this point."
They claim passengers were then ushered into the terminal, where they were greeted by three airport staff. One of the couple added: "There was no accommodation - were told we would just have to wait there.
"By this point the airport had closed so there were no cafes or shops open. You can't expect people to sit there for six hours - what about giving people a drink and some refreshment? No one got anything.
"There were 200 passengers - the elderly, disabled people, pregnant women - left to sleep on the terminal floor in the dark as they even turned the lights off."
By 6am, they say passengers were finally able to board the replacement flight. "To make matters worse, they then charged full price for teas and coffees - after we had been up all night," one added. "It was chaos. You just couldn't write it."
The flight eventually took off at around 6.30am and landed at Manchester Airport after 9.30am, with the couple, at that point, 'desperate for sleep'.
"They put everybody in a closed terminal, sitting on the floor with no food or drink, made to wait until 6am," one said. "We were treated like cattle and there was not one apology... It was an absolute nightmare and we will never fly with Ryanair again."
A Ryanair spokesperson said: "This flight from Faro to Manchester (17 Sept) was delayed due to ATC delays on the inbound flight to Faro, however due to a minor technical issue with the aircraft this flight was subsequently delayed overnight due to a strict curfew at Faro Airport and rescheduled to depart the following morning (18 Sept).
"Passengers booked on this flight received communications via email, SMS and PUSH notifications. Passengers were notified of the delay, advised of their options, and were issued with refreshment vouchers.
"Despite Ryanair’s efforts to arrange accommodation for passengers, availability was limited, and passengers were advised that they could also arrange individual accommodation that they could claim back receipted expenses on Ryanair.com.
"This flight departed for Manchester the following day (18 Sept) at 06:05am local time."
