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Scots passengers 'abandoned' by Ryanair in Austria

Graeme Brown A woman with brown hair, dressed in black with a white scarf, sits in a wheelchair in front of an airport check-in desk Graeme Brown
Katie Brown says she was left feeling "dehumanised" by the experience

A Scottish family say they were "abandoned" by Ryanair in Austria after their flight home to Edinburgh left without boarding disabled passengers.

Katie Brown, 25, who uses a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy, along with her father Graeme and his wife Vikki, told how they were left "stranded" in Vienna on Friday without luggage or vital medication.

They told BBC Scotland News they were thousands of euros out of pocket after having to book accommodation and an alternative flight home.

Ryanair and Vienna International Airport have been asked to comment.

The family were offered seats on the next available Ryanair flight home. However, they were told this would not be until five days later, on New Year's Day, meaning they would miss Katie's 26th birthday celebrations on Hogmanay.

Instead, they paid for a Jet2 flight home on Sunday.

The family, who had enjoyed a "lovely" Christmas break in the Austrian capital, said their flight home was initially delayed by two hours due to a technical fault.

They said they were escorted by airport assistance staff to a gate along with an 84-year-old solo passenger, who was also in a wheelchair.

After the staff failed to show up to board them on the flight, they were told it had been cancelled. They later learned the flight had taken off without them and the solo passenger.

When are you entitled to compensation?

Katie said: "The fact that our bags – including my medication – were flown home without us is shocking.

"We were abandoned at a gate and lied to, being told the flight was cancelled when it wasn't.

"It feels like the airline decided it was cheaper to leave us behind than to risk potentially having to pay a hefty compensation bill for delaying the flight beyond three hours.

"It looks like they made a judgement call to save money at the expense of disabled passengers. It's disgraceful and has left us feeling completely dehumanised."

Getty Images A Ryanair plane with white, blue and gold livery in mid-flight Getty Images
The family were initially told their Ryanair flight home had been delayed by a technical issue

As well as paying for an alternative flight home, the family also had to pay for emergency medication, accommodation, clothing, and essentials in one of Europe's most expensive cities.

Graeme Brown told BBC Scotland News his family were given "quite an interrogation" by passport control staff when they checked in for their replacement Jet2 flight home.

He said the security system showed the family had been stamped as leaving Austria on Friday.

Mr Brown also said Jet2 staff later described the non-removal of their luggage from the Ryanair flight as "a major security breach".

According to flightstats.com, the initial flight left Vienna almost two hours and 40 minutes behind schedule, and landed almost two-and-a-half hours late.

Ryanair policy states that passengers could be entitled to compensation if their flight is delayed by three or more hours.

The family said the airline denied any liability for the incident, instead blaming the airport's special assistance staff.

They said they have not received an apology or formal explanation for the incident.