'I turned up for Ryanair flight early and was refused due to my wheelchair'
A wheelchair user was left crying at the airport after Ryanair denied him access to a flight.
Ian St John, who has been paralysed for seven years due to spinal cancer, said he was due to fly from Cork Airport in Ireland to Liverpool to watch the Reds' weekend match v Aston Villa and play a golf tournament. However, the 45-year-old professional golfer from Tramore, claimed he was refused access to his flight on Saturday, September 2 after Ryanair claimed his paragolfer wheelchair was too big.
Mr St John claimed he sent Ryanair the dimensions of the machine the day he booked his flights and heard nothing back which "means everything is ready to go". However, Ryanair claim Mr St John failed to respond to their requests for the chair's dimensions, something he disputes as he never received the emails. He told the Liverpool ECHO : "Do you think I wouldn't respond to something as important as that?"
Mr St John said he arrived at Cork Airport more than five hours before the flight was due to depart as the process of navigating security as a wheelchair user "can be a little sticky". But when he arrived at the departure gate he was informed by Swissport airport staff that the dimensions of his machine were too big for the plane.
Mr St John said he had travelled on an Aer Lingus flight months before with the same machine where there were no issues. The Swissport staff, who Mr St John claimed were "distressed" by his situation, said they would speak to the baggage handlers.
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He added there were no staff from Ryanair at the gate to assist him with the issue - and due to the flight delay it was not until around 10.30pm that he had it officially confirmed he could not board the flight. Mr St John said: "I had already booked specialist taxis to pick me up in Liverpool to take me first to Formby Hall (where he was due to play a golf tournament) and then to Anfield.
He was due to fly from Cork Airport in Ireland to Liverpool. File image (NurPhoto via Getty Images)"Travelling as a wheelchair user is arduous and you have to be meticulous. I would not have proceeded with booking the flights unless I was sure everything would be fine. My father and brother had already taken time out of their day to take me to Cork Airport on the day of the flight.
"By not telling me I could not travel until I got to the airport, Ryanair stranded me. I couldn't get home because of how difficult it is to find a specialist taxi that can take all my equipment. My heart was racing - I felt sick when I realised I was stranded.
"I was crying in the middle of the airport. The Swissport staff, who were brilliant in trying to get me on the flight, were very upset by what happened. The team leader said staff were vomiting, that's how distressed they were. I was at the airport from 3-11 and was kept waiting for all that time by Ryanair. I have never witnessed discrimination like it."
Named after former LFC legend Ian St John - who scored over 100 goals for the club - Mr St John described himself as "a Liverpool fanatic". He said as a disabled person it is "1000 times harder" to get tickets to the match and had been looking forward to watching the Reds at Anfield.
He was also due to play at the EDGA golf event at Formby Hall which he was forced to withdraw from resulting in the loss of world ranking points. Mr St John said his mum died just weeks ago and golf "had been taking my attention away from it".
He added: "I was so looking forward to the match. Ryanair blew it all out the water. In 2023 to face this kind of discrimination is just astounding. I have never dealt with anything like this before."
A clip of Mr St John was shared extensively on X, formerly Twitter, including by former Reds player Jason McAteer. The ECHO understands Ryanair has since called Mr St John and apologised, and also offered a refund. However, Mr St John plans to take legal action against the airline for the alleged discriminatory treatment.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "This passenger travelling from Cork to Liverpool Saturday, (Sep 2) chose not to fly after being informed by ground staff at Cork Airport that their mobility equipment exceeded the maximum dimensions permitted for carriage onboard Ryanair aircraft.
"This passenger received an Electronic Mobility Form on Fri (Sept 1) which clearly stated the maximum dimensions and weight permitted for carriage of mobility equipment onboard Ryanair aircraft but regrettably they arrived at Cork Airport with mobility equipment that exceeded the maximum dimensions permitted.
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"We regret that this passenger’s mobility equipment exceeded the maximum dimension permitted and as a result we were unable to carry their equipment."
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