Ryanair passenger refuses to board over 'ridiculous' £55 check-in fee

HINA MUNEER, 29, WAS DUE TO FLY FROM LONDON STANSTED AIRPORT TO KAUNAS, LITHUANIA, ON MAY 13 FOR A FIVE-DAY SOLO TRIP, BUT WAS LEFT FUMING AT THE CHECK-IN DESK 12:30, 30 May 2025Updated

13:20, 30 May 2025 A disgruntled Ryanair passenger was so dismayed by the airline's £55 check-in desk fees that she ditched her holiday plans and opted for a dinner outing instead. Hina

Muneer was all set to depart from London Stansted Airport on May 13 for a solo five-day excursion to Kaunas, Lithuania. The 29-year-old concedes she neglected to check-in online because her

reminder email had been misdirected to her spam folder, but she assumed it would not be an issue to check-in at the desk. However, upon arriving at the check-in desk an hour prior to her

flight, she alleges she was informed by a staff member that the fee would be £55. Refusing to cough up the 'absurd' charge, which was nearly as expensive as her £67 flight ticket

to Lithuania, Hina felt that dining at a Nepalese restaurant represented a more sensible expenditure of her funds. The pharmacist, who was celebrating the completion of her prescribing

course, justified the unconventional shift in her celebratory plans. She was furious at what she thought was an excessive fee, arguing that the service merely entailed a staff member

inputting her passport details into their system. Hina, from Slough, Berkshire, said: "It was my first trip in eight months, I just finished my prescribing course and I was going to

treat myself, I thought 'why not?'. They sent me an email to check in but it went to my junk and I genuinely forgot to check in. Article continues below "There was a sign on

the website saying you can check in up to 40 minutes before so I thought that's fine. "About an hour before I made it to the desk and I asked if I could check in and she said yes

but it will cost £55. I'd rather not, I can have a health assessment for £55 from someone with a degree, not for someone to put my passport details in. "I decided not to go but

there was nowhere immediately stating on the website that this is the amount they'd charge. Part of abandoning the trip was just my annoyance, what they were charging was really unfair

for the job that they had to do. It was almost as expensive as my actual flight there. Everything I had booked was refundable anyways so in this situation I'd rather not. "I went

up to her and said 'are you serious, £55? I'm not going to pay that', and she said 'okay, fine.' I know what you're doing, checking my passport, putting in my

passport number and a few details and that is it. The charge in relation to what you're doing is ridiculous. "I thought it was free but people have said on my post that Ryanair had

been doing this for three or four years, but I had no idea. I went to a Nepalese restaurant an hour away from Stansted. "I thought I won't think about the fight, I'll go and

have some momos (steamed dumplings). My money is better spent getting food than paying £55 to check in." The TikTok creator stated that while Ryanair offers cheap fares, it is not worth

the 'inflexible' customer service and disregard for their customers. Hina has vowed never to fly with Ryanair again, stating she would rather pay more for a reliable airline. Hina

said: "If you go to any other airlines they'll make every effort to make sure you're on the plane, but with Ryanair I don't think they give two f*cks. People jump on the

bandwagon of getting cheap flights and don't realise there's all these hidden charges. "There's also the inflexibility of customer service that makes me think I'm

not getting my money's worth. It was the right decision, I'd rather do that than take a flight with them, which I won't be doing in future." Article continues below A

spokesperson for Ryanair said: "In accordance with Ryanair's T's & Cs, which this passenger agreed to at the time of booking, this passenger failed to check-in online

before arriving at London Stansted Airport (13 May). Therefore, this passenger was correctly asked to pay the standard airport check-in fee when checking in at the airport. "All

passengers travelling with Ryanair agree to check-in online before arriving at their departure airport and all passengers are sent an email reminding them to do so 24hrs before departure.

This passenger chose not to pay the airport check-in fee and board her flight from London Stansted to Kaunas (13 May)."