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A Ukrainian family that fled war-torn Kyiv missed their flight from Poland to the UK on Ryanair because they couldn’t afford to print out their boarding passes at the airport.

Venera Muminova, 30, husband Azamat, 31, and their 2-year-old daughter, Kamila, fled from their bombed home last week after being granted emergency visas by the UK, the Times of London reported.

They planned to stay in Nottingham with their hosts, Michelina and Richard Primrose, under the Homes for Ukraine initiative, but were thwarted by the budget carrier, according to the outlet.

The family was unable to access Ryanair’s website to print out the boarding passes, and when they showed up at the airport in Krakow, the staff demanded a $65 check-in fee, which they did not have, Michelina told the paper.

The Muminovas were then held for almost two hours by airline staff, who questioned Azamat, a Ukrainian citizen, about his Turkmenistan passport and British refugee visa, the Daily Mail reported.

As a result, the family missed their flight and waited eight hours for the next one after the Primroses agreed to pay the fees by credit card over the phone.

They arrived at London Stansted Airport suffering from dehydration and “shattered” by the ordeal, their host told the Times of London.

“I can’t believe they’ve been treated like this. This is not an isolated case. Why couldn’t they waiver or print their tickets, instead of making them feel stupid and like they were criminals like they did?” Michelina Primrose told the outlet.

“They carried on as if it was too much hassle,” she said, adding that she called on Ryanair to refund their family’s expenses and to give them a gift as an apology.

Michelina, a support worker in a children’s hospice, told the Daily Mail that Ryanair’s treatment was “disgusting.”


  Ryanair airline staff reportedly held the Muminovas for two hours. Albert Gea/REUTERS Ryanair airline staff reportedly held the Muminovas for two hours. Albert Gea/REUTERS

“They have been through enough already and now they face this intransigent attitude from the Ryanair staff,” she told the outlet.

“Their daughter was in hospital with dehydration a couple of weeks ago and I know how quickly children can deteriorate,” Michelina said. “We linked up with the family on Facebook about a month ago and managed to get them through the visa process, which wasn’t easy.”

She added: “They haven’t got much money and we were happy to pay for their flights, but now we’ve had to pay double, about £550 [$720], because of this morning’s flight.

“It’s not the money, it’s the hard-faced attitude they were met with at the airport, considering their home has been shelled and they’ve had to pack their entire lives into one suitcase and flee their country,” Michelina continued.

“I could hear Kamila crying in the background when I was on the phone, and Venera was also in tears when she thought they weren’t going to get on the flight, but the airline staff were not bending at all,” she added.

The Times of London also described two other incidents with Ukrainian families that involved Ryanair.

In one, Lena North tried to arrange for her 15-year-old nephew to join her in the UK after he was forced to leave his ill mother behind in Odessa — but the airline refused to allow him to fly as an unaccompanied minor, the paper said.

North, who managed to book the boy a new flight on Wizz Air, a Hungarian budget airline, condemned Ryanair’s policy as “insane in circumstances like that.”


  There were two other Ukrainian families who have reportedly dealt with similar issues with Ryanair. Getty Images There were two other Ukrainian families who have reportedly dealt with similar issues with Ryanair. Getty Images

Another woman said she had the “worst experience ever” with Ryanair.

“We were asked to check-in online at the airport desk! Apparently, it is only possible to do online up to 3 hours before the flight (for free),” Nadiya Winter reportedly wrote on social media.

“Luckily we had 30 mins left to do it. Otherwise, they wanted us to pay £47 [$62] each to check us onto the flight! And then, there was another charge for printing your boarding pass £20 [$26]! Unbelievable,” she wrote, adding that airline staff had shown a “lack of sympathy” for refugees.

A Ryanair rep told the Times of London that the company “is accommodating thousands of Ukrainian refugees on its flights from neighboring countries Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.”

“As a Turkmenistan citizen, Mr. Muminov was not a ‘Ukrainian refugee,’ and we sincerely regret the visa difficulties encountered by this Turkmenistan citizen in Krakow Airport, however we repeat that he was not charged a boarding card re-issue fee and the only reason he missed his early morning departure from Krakow was the time necessary to check his Turkmenistan passport and visa to travel to the UK.”

The airline has offered to refund the Primroses’ expenses, the paper said.

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