Couple Escorted Off Ryanair Flight After Snack Payment Issue

A British couple returning from a holiday in Tenerife were met by police and removed from their Ryanair flight after a dispute over a £7 snack order.

Ann-Marie Murray, 55, and her partner were flying back to Bristol on March 28 when they ordered a small in-flight picnic—consisting of a bottle of water, a Coke, and some Pringles. However, when it came time to pay, the card they used failed, and they had no remaining cash, having spent it all during their trip.

Ann-Marie, who works as a retirement living assistant, offered to withdraw money from a cash machine once they landed in Bristol. However, flight attendants declined her offer and instead confiscated their boarding passes, claiming the couple was refusing to pay. They were informed that police would be waiting for them upon arrival.

Despite other passengers stepping in to defend the couple and pointing out that the card machines seemed to be malfunctioning, the crew stood firm, insisting the couple were being uncooperative.

“It was really embarrassing,” Ann-Marie said. “Everyone was kept on the plane while we were escorted off. I had no cash or other cards. The attendant even offered to pay for us and get reimbursed, but we had no way to repay her in Euros.”

Ann-Marie also mentioned that a flight attendant acknowledged similar card issues had happened before, and she’d witnessed the same problem on previous flights.

To make matters worse, when the couple reached their car at Bristol Airport, they discovered the front bumper had been smashed. The vehicle was deemed undrivable and had to be towed, leaving them to take a taxi home.

“We complained to the car park company, but they refused to take responsibility,” Ann-Marie said. “They also wouldn’t give us the CCTV footage.”

​Ryanair released a statement saying the couple became disruptive after consuming the items without successful payment and refused to follow crew instructions. The airline emphasized its zero-tolerance policy for unruly behavior and said the police were contacted in line with standard procedures.