AN engaged couple were left fuming after Ryanair cancelled their guests’ flights to their wedding – only to re-book their return flight for hours before the ceremony takes place.
While guests were later able to change their flights to a later date, they have been left hundreds of pounds out of pockets due to the change.
Jodi, 42 and Kasper, 40, planned to get married in Denmark later this year.
Her friends and family, including her mum and her sister, booked flights from London Gatwick to Aalborg with Ryanair to attend the wedding, due to take place on August 31.
Jodi, originally from East Sussex, told Sun Online Travel: “We decided to get married in Skagen, Denmark, which is where we live together now.
“It’s going to be quite a small wedding, only close family and friends, but it was important to me that my son, mum, sister, best friend and her daughter could share the day with us.
“They all booked to come here for the wedding and were going to fly out on Thursday 29 August and home on Sunday 1 September.”
However, her friends and family were then e-mailed by Ryanair telling them their Aalborg to London Gatwick flights had been cancelled and instead re-booked for just hours before the wedding.
The mum-of-one said: “Three months before the wedding is due to take place, my best friend informed me that she had received an email telling her that their flight home had been cancelled and changed to the day before, a few hours before the wedding took place.
“So they would be flying out and back before the event they had come here for.
She added on Twitter, when complaining to Ryanair: “This is literally my entire side of the wedding. Every single person coming from England to our wedding can no longer attend. This is not something I can just let go.”
There were no other flights on the day they wanted, meaning they would be returning on the Saturday before seeing Jodi get married, instead of on the Sunday afterwards.
Her friends and family eventually managed to book flights home after the wedding on September 3 – two days later than planned.
However they were left with a huge bill to cover the additional two days in a hotel, airport parking and car hire, as well as another two days off work.
Many of the guests have been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
It also caused unnecessary stress for her family, which included her 82-year-old mum and her friend’s five-year-old daughter.
Jodi explained: “I have been trying to get assurances from Ryanair that their extra expenses will be covered.
“They have told me that they will have to fill in a form to claim for it, but can’t tell me what will be reimbursed and what won’t.
“They basically have to pay out and hope that maybe they will be reimbursed.
“It’s very unfair as there was no other option available to them.
“My best friend is leaving her son and husband at home, so will be away from them for longer.
“She’s also a teacher and will have less time to prepare for the new term and spend time with her son before they both go back to school. It’s far from ideal for anyone.
“Ryanair’s customer service has been absolutely appalling and there seems to be nothing but contempt for their customers who have been severely inconvenienced and incurred costs as a result of them changing this flight.”
Another couple had their dream wedding ruined after Colbalt Airlines went under in 2018.
They were left thousands of pounds out of pocket after their flights to Cyprus were cancelled.
Sun Online Travel has contacted Ryanair for comment.