A grieving Coventry woman has slammed Ryanair after being told she would have to pay £115 to amend a booking. Anita Kozłowska had booked a holiday to Spain for her sister but was left in turmoil after finding out her sibling had tragically died in Poland.
Anita told CoventryLive she had booked a holiday to Lanzarote as a gift for her sister Ada, who would have been turning 30 in August. Just days after she had made the booking, her mum, sister, 3-year-old nephew, and 6-year-old niece died after the car they were travelling in was hit by a train in Masuria, Poland, on November 3, 2024.
On November 28 last year, Anita contacted Ryanair to amend the name on the booking and was told that they do not have procedures to do this, which the 36-year-old slammed as ‘ridiculous.’ She then discovered that the booking, which is for September this year, could be changed using the Ryanair app but would cost her £115.
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Anita, from Finham, said: “I booked a holiday package through On The Beach as a surprise birthday present for my sister for her 30th birthday, and unfortunately, a couple of days after I booked that, she died in a car accident alongside her two kids and our mum so as you can imagine, that was a very traumatic time, especially because it was meant to be a present for her, and I never got to tell her.”
After the send-off for her loved ones in Poland, Anita decided to amend the booking, which had the name of her deceased sister Ada. She said: “I obviously needed to change the passenger on the booking because my sister is no longer here, so I decided to take my little cousin with me instead.
“When I contacted On The Beach because they were the third party I booked through, they were absolutely brilliant and amended the hotel and transfer lounge booking, but they said I needed to contact Ryanair directly with regards to the flight change.”
Anita contacted Ryanair on November 28
(Image: Anita Kozlowska)
Anita contacted Ryanair and was told that they do not have procedures to amend bookings, which she said was ‘bonkers.’ She claimed they offered her a refund and said the holiday to Lanzarote could instead be rebooked.
She said: “I never wanted that because I was still planning on going on holiday, and with the refund, the problem is I am not guaranteed that I will be able to get on the same flight and that I will be able to sit with my little cousin, who is underage and very anxious. Also, it could cost me more than I have already paid for it.”
Anita did some digging and found that the booking could be amended in the Ryanair app but for an eye-watering £115. She said: “I just feel it is absolutely disgusting to be paying that much.
“I am fortunate to be in a position where I can afford that, and I will probably end up paying that just for the peace of mind, but there will be so many people in a very similar situation when they lose a loved one, and they simply will not be able to afford to pay that fee to change the name on the booking.”
Bookings can be amended for £115
(Image: Anita Kozlowska)
Anita slammed Ryanair for charging a £115 fee to amend bookings, saying: “I just find it absolutely bonkers, and I do not know how they can get away with it! It is just a crazy situation because regardless of the circumstances I am in now, how can that be justified?”
Tearfully, Anita added: “I have lost four family members in the blink of an eye… that was meant to be a present for my sister that I never had a chance to even surprise her with, and I have explained that to Ryanair.”
CoventryLive contacted Ryanair for comment and the firm reiterated they would not change the booking. A spokesman said: “As per our T&Cs, which this passenger agreed to at the time of booking, we allow name changes on all bookings, which can be made online at the cost of a standard name change fee.”
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