A family has today issued an urgent warning to holidaymakers as an elderly grandmother is unable to fly to Spain following a heart attack - and nearly lost out on £400 as a result.
Thelma Francis, 76, suffered the trauma weeks after she and husband Craig, 69, had booked flights to Murcia with Ryanair.
Doctors in February told Thelma she'd be unable to go on the holiday scheduled for June and issued the grandmother-of-12 with a medical note exempting her from travel. Medics were unclear when it would be safe for Thelma to fly again.
But when the couple attempted to get a refund for their flights, they were embroiled in a dispute with Ryanair - until the Mirror stepped in.
The couple, from Hullbridge, Essex, did not take out insurance after purchasing the flights, as they usually book it days before travel.
Now they and their family, who've helped them fight Ryanair, have warned other holidaymakers travel insurance should be booked early to avoid similar "hassle".
The couple's daughter-in-law Nicola Barnes, 38, told Mirror today: "I’d strongly recommend buying insurance at the time of booking as this will alleviate a lot of hassle they may encounter.
"I usually do this for myself however my mother and father in law were naïve to the fact that unforeseen circumstances would be such a problem to sort out."
Travel insurance should be booked as soon as possible regardless of airline, experts say. Martin Lewis, financial guru, reminded viewers of this on This Morning in an interview.
Ryanair issued the couple a credit note for their flights, which cost £382 in total, but doctors were so concerned about Thelma's health, they were unsure when she could expect the green light for travel. She and Craig, a retired HGV driver, were reticent to book again as a result and wanted their money back. She is still undergoing treatment and taking medication now, nearly three months on after the heart attack.
Craig told Mirror: "Initially, the letter we sent wasn't good enough. I was confident a doctor's note after a heart attack, of all things, would be fine.
"She can't fly anywhere this year, let alone this summer, because the hospital needs to be confident it is safe. Doctors aren't at the moment so that's why we have the doctor's note. We need confirmation to say she can fly, and we told Ryanair this.
"It could be really dangerous if she flies anytime soon. It could be critical.
"They (Ryanair) are not a tiny, little company. They're a massive company. It wasn't right."
Thelma, who is a retired carer, fell ill suddenly at home in February and was dashed to hospital.
Craig continued: "We tried different means and through different contacts to sort this as soon as we knew Thelma wouldn't be able to travel.
"We're pensioners, so it was a lot of money to us. We just couldn't afford to lose that amount of money.
"We still don't know when it'll be safe to fly."
Days after Daily Mirror spoke to the couple and approached Ryanair, the low-cost airline offered Craig and Thelma a full refund.
The couple had stressed to Ryanair they and doctors could not tell when it would be safe for Thelma to travel, so the credit note was of little use.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "These customers booked to fly from Stansted to Murcia on 15 June, however, on 21 Feb, they submitted a refund request due to serious illness and were issued credit for the total cost of their flight.
"These customer since requested a cash refund instead of credit, which is currently being processed.
"At no point did Ryanair say this couple ‘must fly’ on this flight from Stansted to Murcia."
