Couple cancels journey after death of their son. Ryanair refuses to repay

Tina McDermont and her husband had a scheduled trip from Newcastle, UK, to Alicante, Spain, on August 30.

It was a short four-day vacation in the neighbouring country, however, the death of the son on August 19 would change the couple's plans.

18-year-old Billy McDermont died of a car accident and the couple canceled the trip, having contacted the airline so that it could be reimbursed for the cancellation.

According to their accounts, the two of them will have sent a certificate of death in an attempt to get back the £350 they had paid for the trip, but the answer was not what they expected.

The family was informed that it was not illegible to receive the refund since Billy had died 11 days from the date of departure, with the company setting a 10-day deadline for this to be possible. In other words, the company grants a refund if a passenger does not board for reasons related to the death of a close relative, but death must be recorded within 10 days of the trip. So for 24 hours, the family couldn't get their money back.

Tina McDermont is outraged by the decision, recalling that the death of a child is at stake, and referring that she was counting on using the money to help bear the expenses of Bill's funeral ceremonies.

“Bill’s death was a shock. I could never get on a trip. I just wanted to be home with the company of my family”, recalls Tina, who appeals to the Irish company to review its rules, analyzing case by case.

However, in response, Ryanair merely reiterated its policy and stated that Billy had died outside the expected mourning period and therefore the family was not entitled to any compensation.

According to The Independent, the company claims, however, to have made all the necessary documentation available to the family to try to make a claim for compensation with its travel insurer.