Ryanair Chaos: Families Left Stranded in Tenerife After Hours-Long Queues and Flight Cancellations

Families travelling with children were subjected to hours of queuing and chaos at Tenerife South Airport on June 3, only to be refused boarding on their Ryanair flight to Bournemouth. Three families have spoken out against the airline, detailing their shocking experiences and the poor customer service they received. Despite their luggage being removed from the plane, the flight was eventually delayed by 45 minutes, and the families were forced to book alternative flights, incurring hundreds of pounds in additional costs.

Key Takeaways:

• Three families, including Nicola Tame, Rio Bath, and another mother with children aged 10 and 12, were left stranded at Tenerife South Airport on June 3 after being refused boarding on their Ryanair flight to Bournemouth.
• The families, who were travelling with children, were forced to wait in hours-long queues, with passengers under 18 being redirected to a separate "family queue" that made little progress.
• The electronic gate for passport control was unavailable for passengers under 18, leading to further delays and frustration.
• Families were told they had missed their flight shortly before 11am, only to have the subsequent flight delayed by 45 minutes to retrieve luggage belonging to passengers who were refused boarding.
• Ryanair offered the families a flight four days later or a flight to Stansted on the same day, with families advised to "find their own way home" while paying an extra 100 Euros each.
• All families were refused compensation and were forced to book alternative flights with Jet2, incurring hundreds of pounds in additional costs.

Statistics:

• 3 families were left stranded at Tenerife South Airport on June 3.
• The queue for passport control, including the "family queue", took over 40 minutes to make little progress.
• On average, each family was forced to wait over an hour before being diverted to the "family queue".
• 100 Euros per person was the additional cost for families to book a flight to Stansted on the same day.
• Hundreds of pounds in additional costs were incurred by families to book alternative flights with Jet2.

Sources:

• Nicola Tame (family member)
• Rio Bath (family member)
• Another mother with children aged 10 and 12 (family member)
• The Echo (newspaper)
• Ryanair (airline)

Note: Ryanair has not responded to the families' complaints at the time of publication.