On September 6th, I attempted to board Ryanair flight FR5891 from Eindhoven to Kraków, which was scheduled for 17:40. I arrived at the gate at 16:55, only to find that it had already closed. The gate information was announced at 16:40, but my boarding pass clearly stated that the gate would close at 17:10. Eindhoven Airport operates as a “silent” airport, so no last calls were made. I was with about 20 other passengers in the same situation.
We approached the airport staff before 17:05 to explain that we were unable to board. They told us the gate was closed and directed us to the Ryanair booth in the entrance hall before security. At the Ryanair booth, we were informed that we were officially late because the gate had closed “at the right time.” When I asked what time the gate actually closed, they refused to provide this information, citing confidentiality.
We were given the option to pay an additional 100 euros to take the next flight the following day, or else we were left to find our own way.
Additionally, there was a discrepancy between the departure time listed on my itinerary (17:20) and the boarding pass (17:40). The departure time displayed on the terminal TVs matched the boarding pass at 17:40.
Given the confusion and lack of clarity, what are my rights in this situation? Are they permitted to withhold information about the gate closing time?
Submit a claim for denied boarding under EU261 through their website. They might deny it or not even process it. If that happens, escalate your claim to the EU’s online dispute resolution or the Dutch agency: Passengers | Air passenger rights | Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT).
Make sure to include your boarding pass with the updated times in your complaint, as this is crucial for validating your claim. If you have any evidence proving you were on time, include that as well. If you don’t have it, try contacting the airport to obtain this proof while the details are still fresh in people’s minds.
You should seek a refund for the €100 rebooking fee, as well as any costs for overnight accommodation and meals if you weren’t at home. Additionally, you may be entitled to compensation for the delayed arrival on the next day, which depends on the flight distance.
You can also claim expenses for transport to and from the departure airport, if applicable.
Using flight tracker apps to check past departure times is a smart move. If the plane didn’t even arrive until 16:46, then Ryanair’s turnaround time was indeed incredibly quick. It sounds like something definitely went wrong with how the gate was managed.
Planes can indeed experience delays between gate closing and pushing back from the gate.
In my experience, it seems like Ryanair might build a bit of buffer into their scheduled arrival times, giving the impression that they arrive ‘early’ more frequently. However, this could just be a perception and might not be how they actually schedule their flights.