Ryanair passenger requests a refund after losing her 18-yo son, then discovers their one-day rule: ‘Inhumane’
Losing a child is devastating enough. For one mother, dealing with an airline policy afterward made an already difficult time even worse.
Bereavement is one situation where passengers may hope for some flexibility, especially when they are already trying to navigate an airline’s rules while grieving. Sometimes, however, even one day can matter.
Tina McDermont, 45, was due to fly from Newcastle to Alicante with her husband on August 30. According to the New York Post, they canceled after their 18-year-old son, Billy, died in an accident. When McDermont contacted Ryanair about the £350 they had paid, she learned his death fell just one day outside the airline’s bereavement policy.
One day mattered more than she expected
Billy’s death came as a huge shock to his family. McDermont explained that there was “no way” she could go on the four-day vacation while arranging her son’s funeral. She wanted to stay home with friends and family instead.
McDermont went to Ryanair’s website to request her money back and initially assumed there would not be an issue given the circumstances. The process required her to provide Billy’s death certificate and the date he died. That was when she ran into a problem she had not expected.
Ryanair’s bereavement policy allows passengers to apply for travel credit when an immediate family member dies within 10 days of the scheduled flight. Billy had died 11 days before his parents were supposed to leave, putting McDermont outside the airline’s window by just one day.
McDermont called the policy “inhumane” after discovering the cutoff. “I hit these barriers because of this 10-day policy that I hadn’t been aware of,” she recalled. “It was really starting to agitate me.”
She eventually contacted Ryanair directly. The airline confirmed that Billy’s death fell outside the 10-day period, meaning she did not qualify for bereavement travel credit. “It was like a slap in the face,” McDermont recalled.
“If he’d died a day later, I would’ve got my money back,” She said. “It’s a blanket policy, but it isn’t human.”
McDermont believes bereavement cases should be considered individually rather than decided entirely by a fixed cutoff. She described the airline’s decision as “disgusting” and “petty,” arguing that the circumstances surrounding a death should also matter.
The £350 had taken on additional importance because McDermont hoped to put the money toward Billy’s funeral costs. Still, she stressed that her frustration was about more than recovering what she had paid. “It’s not about the money. It’s the principle,” she explained.
How an airline responds during a family crisis can make an already difficult situation easier or harder. Sometimes, a little help during a family emergency can mean a great deal to a passenger. McDermont felt her circumstances deserved more consideration.
She contacted Ryanair again, hoping the company would reconsider. The airline, however, stood by its decision.
“Ryanair’s bereavement policy allows passengers to apply for travel credit where the death of an immediate family member occurs within 10 days of their scheduled flight departure,” a representative explained. “As this bereavement occurred outside of that period, this passenger was not entitled to travel credit.” They added, “This passenger was provided with the documentation required to submit a claim through their travel insurance provider.”
McDermont now wants Ryanair to change how it handles exceptional bereavement cases. She believes there should be a special circumstances clause for close relatives, particularly children, instead of every request being determined by the same 10-day cutoff.
“Have a bit of heart and compassion,” she said. The experience has also changed McDermont’s view of the airline. She has vowed never to fly with Ryanair again.
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