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Ryanair tried to charge me £100 for a sex change

Posted Friday, November 27, 2009

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Ryanair

I flew to Liverpool this week on business from Derry.

I booked the ticket last week so it turned out to be around £140 return.

I booked the ticket online through Ryanair.

Anyone who deals with them know how careful you have to be no to end up paying a lot more than you expected.

Not So Cheap

For instance I've booked to take my kids to Scotland in January.

It was only £33.

However, when you add on the £5 credit card booking charge per person per flight that added another £30 to it doubling the cost.

So, I was very careful when booking the flight online.

Wrong Sex

Not careful enough though.

When they sent the confirmation email through it thanked a Mrs. Gerard McLaughlin for booking with them and asked me to check the details saying that they had to be exactly the same as on the passport.

"Good God" I hope this isn't going to cost me" I thought.

I went straight back in to change my details.

There was the little pulldown box beside my name with Mr / Mrs / Ms etc.

I clicked Mr this time.

Flash

Something flashed up on the screen.

It said that I needed to pay £100 to change from a Mrs to a Mr.

Cheap for a sex change (as they say, Ryanair are always the cheapest) but shocking for a change to your title on your ticket.

I was going to make the change and pay, whilst holding my nose, as I couldn't afford to miss this trip.

Took My Chance

For some reason, I didn't, and decided to take my chance at the airport.

I thought, in all likelihood, it would be dearer there, but I though I'd go down and dare them, in front of the other passengers to try to charge me a hundred quid or more to change me from a Mrs to a Mr in full view of all their customers.

No Title

I went upstairs at home and looked at some boarding cards that I had upstairs for myself and two children for a trip to Scotland that I didn't use because of a family bereavement.

I noticed, joy of joys, that there was no Title on the boarding card. It just said Gerard McLaughlin.

Did that mean I would get through without paying?

After all I was on the computer as Mrs Gerard McLaughlin even though I wasn't on the boarding card as that.

Good News

At Derry where you go through, the girl operating the check-in said the scanner was broken and she would have to do it manually.

Good news.

I just had to get back again though.

It turned out OK though as all the do is tear a piece off the boarding card.

January

All's well till January then when I have to get through having spelled my son's surname as MlLaughlin on the computer - and that will show up on the boarding card.

What will I do if they want to charge me an outrageous amount to change his name?

Call a taxi and send him home?

He wouldn't be best pleased.

At least, though, he isn't threatened, like I was, with a £100 fee for a Ryanair sex change.