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Photo: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP
Due to disputes over ticket refunds during the corona pandemic, according to media reports, Ryanair refused to check-in passengers and only allowed them on board after the claims were settled.
As the "Irish Times" reported on Wednesday, hundreds of travelers are affected in Ireland alone.
According to information from the British newspaper "Guardian", there are also several cases in Great Britain.
It's about so-called chargebacks. Because the Irish low-cost airline did not reimburse them for flights they had not taken because of the pandemic, travelers took the opportunity to get the money back through the credit card company. Ryanair apparently noted the names and details of these passengers and refused to board them on flights booked later, as previously reported by the portal »aerotelegraph.com«. The company sees itself in the right and referred to the terms and conditions.
Those affected had bought non-refundable tickets for flights that were carried out as planned despite the pandemic, said a Ryanair spokeswoman for the Irish Times.
The chargebacks via the credit card company were made "illegally".
The airline spoke of a "tiny minority" of fewer than 850 travelers.
These passengers would not be taken back until they had paid their debts.
As reported by the Irish Times and the Guardian, many of those affected only found out about the lock shortly before they started their journey.
They had still been able to book the new flight.
The British competition authority recently closed its investigations against Ryanair and British market leader British Airways in these cases, citing the unclear legal situation.
mik / dpa-AFX
