Mum says Ryanair passenger refused to move for crying son after seat mix-up

A mum says a plane passenger refused to move for her crying son after a mix-up with the seats on a flight. Six-year-old Ryan Bandli was left in tears and anxious throughout the flight after not being able to sit in the window seat that his parents had booked, his mum Adi claimed.

Adi had paid to reserve a seat for her son by the window, which she said helps keep him calm. But when they boarded the flight from Budapest to Manchester, on their way home to Stoke-on-Trent, they found a woman sitting there and she refused to move as she had the same seat reservation.

Adi said her "very reactive" son struggles in stressful situations and was left very upset after flight attendants "begged them" to give the seat up and put Ryan in an aisle seat instead. The airline Buzz - a subsidiary of Ryanair - has since blamed the "misunderstanding" on an computer glitch and claimed Ryan couldn't be moved to another window seat because the flight was fully booked.

READ MORE: Man receives angry reaction after asking passenger to move out of his window seat he'd paid for

Adi told The Mirror: "Ryan was really upset and anxious and he cried. He didn't understand how this could happen. We sat separately and it was really stressful."

She added: "Ryan likes to sit next to the window. It calms him down a bit and he likes to lean his head against the wall. My poor child was crying. People gave him sweets and were so kind."

Ryan Bandli was left in tears by the mix-up (Sz Adri)

The family has since pushed the airline for an explanation and compensation. Ryanair has now refunded Adi the reservation costs - but insisted the seat wasn't double booked. A spokesperson said: "This Buzz passenger’s seat was not sold twice; this misunderstanding was as a result of an isolated IT glitch.

"Unfortunately as the flight was fully booked, there were no other window seats available. Buzz regrets the inconvenience caused to Ms. Bandli and her son and a member of our customer services team will contact them directly."

READ NEXT:

• Britannia ranked worst hotel in the UK for 10th year running - with poor rating for Nottingham site

• Plan for new Popeyes and Starbucks drive-thrus at Nottingham's Riverside Retail Park

• Primark's hot pink winter boots are 'calling my name' as £20 range lands in stores

• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hints at UK households getting more support to tackle energy bills

• Sporty teen who thought he had heartburn diagnosed with rare form of cancer