Overbooked Flight Ruins Swedish Travelers' Vacation Plans

Karin Lindén Leyon, 51, and her travel companions were eagerly anticipating a delightful vacation in Sopot, Poland. However, upon arriving at the airport, they discovered their flight was overbooked, and they were unable to board.

"We were met with total incomprehension. You plan, you pack, you look forward to your trip, and then they don't care at all," says Karin Lindén Leyon.

On Monday, Karin Lindén Leyon, 51, along with her friend Karin Lundquist, 51, and their two sons, were set to fly to Sopot, the heart of the "Polish Riviera."

They were flying with Ryanair and had booked their trip through the intermediary Travellink. They looked forward to staying at a hotel near the beach, sunbathing, swimming, and enjoying good food.

But that was not to be.

Check-In Issues

The group had added automatic check-in via Travellink, as the flight was early in the morning. On Sunday evening, they received a message.

"It said, 'no, we can't check you in, you have to check in yourself.' And they sent a link where we were supposed to check in with the booking number."

The booking number didn't work, and Karin Lindén Leyon and Karin Lundquist decided to head to Arlanda earlier than recommended to check in on time.

Once there, they were told the flight was overbooked, and they were not guaranteed their seats.

"Wait a minute, I thought, we have four tickets, or don't we? At half-past three in the morning, you barely get angry, you're surprised, stunned. What is this?"

Tired, surprised, and disappointed, they paid to check in, hoping to still make the flight.

Forced to Leave the Airport

Several hours later, after all passengers had boarded the plane, they were informed that only two seats were available.

"We went out and talked for a long time with the staff. There was a woman with a long list of names of people who hadn't been able to board their flights. Then I realized this is systematic, we're not alone in this."

"We were met with total incomprehension. You feel like cattle," she says.

Ryanair could offer a flight ticket the following evening as compensation, an eight-hour journey with layovers in Oslo and Pisa. For Karin Lindén Leyon and Karin Lundquist, this was not an option. Their hotel booking for ten thousand kronor in Sopot was lost, and Karin Lindén Leyon now wants to warn others.

"A strong recommendation is not to book through third parties. This is a direct result of Travellink not being able to fulfill its service," she says.

She is also disappointed with Ryanair and the response she received after the missed trip.

"It's almost impossible to get in touch with them. No phone number you can call. I think they have a system to make it so difficult that you give up."

Ryanair states on its website that it has a "policy not to overbook its flights." In a comment to Expressen, the company writes that the flight in question was not overbooked but had to be rebooked to a smaller plane. "As a result, two passengers could not travel on this flight and were offered to be rebooked to the next available flight."

Travellink regrets the incident and writes in an email that they will investigate the matter.