Football fan says he's £900 out of pocket after airline sold his return ticket

03 April 2023 , 15:14

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Airlines often resell seats if they have a passenger marked as a 'no-show' (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A football fan says he is £900 down after a recent trip to Croatia - and claims it's because airline Lufthansa sold his return ticket.

Ieuan Davies, 56, from Llangefni, Wales, headed abroad to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier between Wales and Croatia.

He claims that he faced no issues on the outward leg of his journey, and watched the match.

However, when it came to his flight home on March 26, he became worried when his return flight didn't appear on the Lufthansa app, reports the BBC.

He claims that he rang the airline and was told he had missed his flight to Split, via Frankfurt.

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Ieuan explained: "I said to them 'I'm here, in Split. I’m ringing you from Split. You flew me here on Friday."

Have you had a similar issue to Ieuan? Email us at [email protected].

Ieuan was watching Wales play Croatia in the Euros qualifier (Football Association of Wales)

Eventually he headed to the airport, but airline staff informed him that he was no longer booked on the flight.

In order to get home, he ended up forking out £932 on the next available flight to Wales, an Air France business seat via Paris.

Ieuan claimed to the BBC that he has had multiple calls with Lufthansa, but that the airline has not accepted that he was on the outbound flight.

The Euros fan says he did not face any issues when he passed through boarding or at border control.

He alleged: "It's some sort of computer glitch. I've given them the seat number I sat in. I’ve told them about the passenger I sat next to. I've been told it's some sort of one-in-five-million fault."

Ieuan is apparently receiving help from the Wales Football Supporters Association and the office of local Senedd Member Rhun ap Iorwerth, but is worried that "it could take months".

Airline 'no-show' policies can differ, but typically a passenger is considered a no-show if they do not turn up for their outbound flight, with having informed the airline ahead of time.

Lufthansa has Ieuan down as a 'no-show' on his outbound flight (AFP via Getty Images)

This can be either by not turning up at all, or if you show up at the check-in desk after your flight has departed.

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In the case of a 'no-show', all other connecting or return flights within the same booking are automatically cancelled, and passengers are required to buy new tickets.

'No-show' passengers are often not eligible for a refund, nor can they re-book onto alternative flights for free.

If you know that you won't be able to make a flight, your best bet is to get in touch with the airline as soon as possible.

Unfortunately when you're the one who cancels your journey, it's unlikely that you will get a refund, although it does depend on the type of ticket you bought and the T&Cs.

However, since the Covid pandemic most airlines offer options such as rebooking to an alternative flight for free, or receiving credit that you can use with the airline at a later date.

Julie Delahaye