Ryanair scandal in Cyprus: Hungarian passengers left stranded without assistance and water

Reports have surfaced of Irish low-cost airline Ryanair treating Hungarian passengers poorly on a flight from Cyprus to Budapest, causing a significant uproar.

Ryanair betrays passengers

Recent accounts detail a chaotic scene on a Ryanair flight from Paphos to Budapest, which was scheduled to depart at 16:25 on 26 June. After boarding, passengers were left waiting inside the plane with the doors closed on the tarmac for an additional 2 hours and 35 minutes, finally taking off at 7 PM, Világgazdaság writes.

Unsurprisingly, many passengers were frustrated. Ryanair’s handling of the situation exacerbated the problem, as they did not provide water or any other assistance, despite having children and elderly passengers on board. “For them, this was the cheapest solution, and they completely disregarded the needs of the passengers,” wrote one affected individual in a social media post.

The passenger argued that this kind of prolonged “detention” was illegal and that an airport waiting area should have been provided. After an hour and a half, this demand was formally recorded, and the captain was made aware that keeping passengers on board for more than two hours was unlawful. The captain acknowledged this.

Loophole in flight delay compensation

Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Upon landing in Budapest, several passengers filed complaints regarding the delay. However, it was revealed that since the flight distance exceeded 1,500 kilometres, compensation would only be provided for delays over three hours. As a result, it is expected that all complaints will be dismissed.

The passenger who described the incident also filed a consumer report and initiated a lawsuit against Ryanair for damages. “The lesson is that everyone should be prepared with food, water, and mental fortitude for even a seemingly straightforward flight like PFO-BUD or BUD-PFO. If it depends on the airline, the customer might end up dehydrated on board,” the post concluded.

Many comments followed, including one from another affected passenger who flew with two children. They noted that Ryanair had sent a message earlier in the day warning of stormy weather on the return flight. Boarding began roughly 20 minutes late, but no one anticipated significant issues as other flights were departing.

“Once everyone was seated, the captain informed us that we couldn’t take off and didn’t know for how long. The crew was relatively normal. Fortunately, the restroom was accessible, and later, water was provided for a fee,” they added to the original account.

The specific incident was described as a very unpleasant experience, but fortunately, no major issues occurred.

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