Ryanair passengers denied entry after carrying ‘fake’ boarding passes – ‘petty and evil’
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Any passengers flying with Ryanair and using a Kiwi.com boarding pass will be refused entry, the airline has said.
According to current regulations, passengers must complete the check-in process directly with the airline.
Online travel agent Kiwi.com hasn’t followed this rule as the website has issued their own boarding passes, which Ryanair has labelled as “fake”.
Many passengers carrying the wrong documents have been refused to board their holiday flights.
Any boarding pass which is not issued by the airline will not be valid when flying.
Ryanair has said it is “mandatory” to complete the check-in directly with the carrier, and anyone with an alternative boarding pass will not be accepted.
Director of marketing at Ryanair, Dara Brady, explained: “We became aware of these fake boarding passes when a small number of passengers who booked their flights through Kiwi.com arrived at the boarding gate without official Ryanair Boarding Passes last week.
“It is an obligation under EU regulations that an airline informs passengers directly of all safety and security policies regarding their flight.
“Kiwi.com are circumventing this by checking passengers in and replacing the Ryanair Boarding Pass with a fake Boarding Pass issued by Kiwi.com.
“Any passenger presenting a Kiwi.com Boarding Pass will be refused boarding on Ryanair flights,” she said.
Some travellers reacted on social media to the news explaining that on today’s flights, passengers were being extra cautious with their travel documents.
“People queuing for the Ryanair flight with laminated A4 boarding passes. Lol,” said one user.
Ryanair explained: “If you made a booking through Kiwi.com we urge you to contact Kiwi.com to obtain the necessary Ryanair booking reference and email address so that you can complete check-in in line with our safety and security protocol.
“Ryanair check-in opens 24 hrs pre departure for all passengers and 60 days pre departure for passengers who have purchased a reserved seat.’’
However, the online travel agent responded saying Ryanair’s real intention is to limit “customers choice”.
“There is no such ‘fake’ boarding pass.
“Kiwi.com complies with all the requirements to ensure safe travel for our customers and have done so for years…
“Threatening not to board customers is petty and an evil Ryanair practice to try and stifle customer choice.
“The real reason for this action is because Kiwi.com often sells Ryanair tickets cheaper than Ryanair and they don’t like it.
“Ryanair’s behaviour is nothing short of cruel by putting profit ahead of consumer choice,” Kiwi.com said.
Passengers are advised to check in using the Ryanair website or Ryanair app only.
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