A victim of the mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire has described Ryanair’s decision to deny him a refund as “sad and childish”.
Stephen Crean, 61, was due to fly to Austria on Wednesday 5 November to watch Nottingham Forest play SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League.
He was unable to make the journey, however, after sustaining stab wounds to his left hand, back, bottom and head in the attack on Saturday 1 November.
After confronting the attacker, he managed to escape by crawling into an empty toilet and locking the door before the train arrived at Huntingdon station. Mr Crean was hailed a hero for his actions.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Crean described how friends attempted to secure a refund for the missed Ryanair flight.
“Somebody else has applied for me, because I haven’t had the use of my left hand and I’m left-handed,” he said. “So that’s the problem. Now I’m right-handed, and I’m just learning to use my right hand.”
“There are other people that are trying [on my behalf] – that are on Ryanair’s case – but they are still not having it.”
Despite the pressure, the airline has thus far refused to return Mr Crean’s payment.
“All Ryanair air fares are non-refundable, which is why we strongly recommend passengers take out travel insurance in order to protect themselves if they can’t travel,” a Ryanair spokesperson told The Independent.
The airline’s website states that all its tickets are generally non-refundable.
“If your flight operated and you didn’t travel, you’re not entitled to a refund. You may have valid reasons for deciding not to travel, but our business model is simple – we don’t offer refunds to people who don’t travel because the seat you booked has operated empty in your absence,” the policy states.
The policy states that passengers may be entitled to a refund when the airline has cancelled a flight, failed to operate the flight or denied boarding.
“That’s what they’ve said, and they’re going to stand by that, and I find it rather sad and childish,” said Mr Crean.
“It’s not all about money. It’s got nothing to do with money. And they should know that – it could have been Ryanair staff in that buffet car.”
“They should grow up a bit and do something. Just stop being petty about this, it’s childish.”
It is “pretty sickening”, he says, that the airline is refusing to change its mind. “I mean, there’s not very much you can do about it if they’re just set in their ways.
“I used to be like that. But things happen... and you change for the best.
“So maybe they must change, because people are going to think very low of them now.”
Philip Chambers, one of Mr Crean’s friends, said, according to The Telegraph, that Ryanair’s decision was “shocking”.
He went on to say that his friend was “gutted he couldn’t come” to Austria, and said: “I understand they have policies and I’d say I’m not surprised – but you think but they might change their mind when you think of the impact of what Stephen has done.”
Meanwhile, one Forest fan, Kevin George, said he hoped some fans would “start to boycott the airline over the fact they’ve refused to refund a hero who put himself on the line for others”.
While Mr Crean was unable to board his flight to Austria to catch the away game, he did attend Forest’s match against Leeds United on Sunday with his arm in a sling.
As he took his seat, his picture was shown on large screens as he was greeted with applause from home and away fans.
After the 1 November attack, 10 patients were taken by ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, and one patient self-presented, British Transport Police said last Tuesday.
Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following the attack.
