Distraught mum wrongly banned from Ryanair flight over Brexit rules mistake

18.08.2022 - 21:11 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Ryanair has issued an apology after a staff member mistakingly prevented a mum from boarding a flight to Majorca.

Rachael Delaney walked out of Leeds-Bradford Airport in tears after a member of the budget airlines staff misinterpreted post-Brexit rules and stopped her from going onto the plane. Due to the incident, her daughter Keira who she was travelling with at the time went to Majorca without her.

Despite being denied entry on the flight, Rachael later learned that her travel documents were all in order to gain access to Spain with Jet2 offering her a space on one of its flights. Since the incident, Ryanair has officially apologised to Rachel.

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"The stress and tears this incurred was not necessary," Rachael told The Mirror. "I was distraught and Ryanair showed no compassion."

The holiday was intended to be a nice reward for her 17-year-old daughter after finishing her exams. Rachael made sure to check online that their passport details were in check and printed out all the required papers. "There was one person on the gate and he looked at my passport and said, 'Sorry you can't fly'," Rachael claimed.

"He couldn't really give an explanation, he just said 'We don't cover this'." She added: "My passport doesn't run out until May next year. He kept going on about the ten year rule."

A member of staff asked Rachael to stand aside while he dealt with other customers, he then allegedly told her to leave once everyone else had boarded. Tearfully making her way out of the airport, Rachael called the Passport Office where an avisor stated she should have been able to fly.

"As I was leaving there was the Jet2