Ryanair kicked us off a plane on our dream holiday to Spain because we hadn't paid extra to reserve our own seats

A couple have told how they felt held to ransom by Ryanair after they were kicked off a flight to their dream holiday because they hadn't paid extra to book their own seats, saying: 'When you book a flight, you assume you will get a seat.'

Scott McCormick, 33, and Helena Borthwick, 32, had already paid £384.55 for the return flights from Birmingham to Mallorca - their first trip abroad in over two years.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline after the disappointment, the couple said they were 'shocked' to discover buying a ticket did not guarantee a place on the plane.

Miss Borthwick said: 'The first thing they said to us is 'you're not both getting on this plane'. I had no idea this could happen once we'd booked the tickets.

'When you pay for a flight you assume you will get a seat. I have never heard of someone getting kicked off a flight because they hadn't reserved a seat.

'I had a bit of a meltdown and was in tears because the flight was at 7am and we had to be awake at 2am, I'd only had three hours' sleep and with everything going on work-wise it just got to me. I immediately heard 'you're not going on holiday at all'.

'But we'd already spent a lot of money, maybe £2,000 on hotel, excursions and a dog-sitter and this just felt like the worst case scenario.'

They had chosen not to pre-book seats - normally costing from £4.50 to £33 each - to save money and were fully prepared to sit apart on the two-hour flight on May 1.

Despite checking in online the night before and being the first to arrive at the gate they were made to wait until everybody else had boarded before being told the airline had swapped planes for a smaller one, leaving only one seat available between them.

The couple were then given the choice of only one of them traveling on their booked flight or both catching a later flight - which they did after being assured they would be switched over for free.

Read More

But when they returned to the ticket office they were made to pay an extra £100 because staff argued only one of them had been cancelled and the other had chosen not to fly.

Meanwhile, they say the whole plane was delayed for 90 minutes while ground crew found and removed their checked-in bags.

Mr McCormick said: 'We didn't reserve seats because we didn't have to, it'd never been an issue before but at the gate they told us because we hadn't reserved seats there was only one remaining seat. It just feels like a scam by Ryanair.

'There was just a complete lack of empathy, it was just 'you're not going to Spain, go away'.

'At the gate they told us if we wouldn't separate we would be on the next flight at no extra cost and sent us down to the ticket office, at that point I asked for some proof but they just said it was written on the system.

'But when we went down there they accused us of bending the truth and argued one of us had chosen not to fly so would have to pay an extra £100.'

The couple's week-long break included a business mentorship event for their Birmingham-based More Life Coaching business and as a result of catching a flight four hours later they missed an important networking event.

Read More

Fitness fanatic Mr McCormick said he hoped never to fly with Ryanair again but accepted that they hold such a monopoly over some routes he may be forced to.

He said: 'Ryanair should have asked all passengers if anyone would like to volunteer their seats.

'It felt like discrimination, how do they pick out these people, is it because we're young and we have no kids so there's just two of us, is it to do with something we don't see or understand.

When Mr McCormick shared his ordeal on social media, many were shocked to hear that airlines might overbook a flight - though some suggested reserving a seat can help avoid being 'singled out' for not getting aboard.

One person said: 'Prepay for a seat, then problem solved. ALL airlines do this.'

When someone suggested queuing early to ensure you get a seat, another swiped: 'Or just book your seat.'

A third wrote: 'This is crazy! Surely if you pay and don't reserve a seat, you still paid with the intention of getting on a flight how can they not allow you on?'

A fourth echoed the opinion of many commenters and said: 'Why do people still fly with Ryanair? It blows my mind! It's the most awful airline.'

Travel experts later confirmed that flight passengers are not guaranteed a seat even when they book one - and can be legally 'bumped' onto another service.

Airlines will sometimes book more people onto a flight than there are seats on a plane because travellers do not always turn up even if they have booked a flight.

Carriers are also sometimes unable to board all passengers if they switch to a smaller aircraft for operational reasons, meaning too many people will try to board.

Some passengers are therefore asked to give up their place on the flight – known as being 'bumped' - although airlines can also do so without your permission.

Mr McCormick and Miss Boshwick did not reserve seats before checking in because they did not mind sitting apart on the two-hour flight.

Because of this, Mr McCormick and Miss Boshwick were each assigned a random seat free of charge upon checking in, which they did online before departure.

But when they got to the airport gate, staff said that only one of them could board the plane - which they initially believed was because it had been overbooked.

Ryanair has since confirmed that the flight was scheduled to operate on a Boeing 737-8200 with 197 seats, but had to be swapped to a 737-800 with only 189 seats.

One passenger was left unable to board - and because the couple were the last two to check in, they were told one of them would be put onto the next flight.

But because they did not wish to travel separately, only one of them could be moved onto the next flight - with the other having to pay a £100 missed departure fee, which was not refunded.

Ryanair claimed Mr McCormick was entitled to claim back 'reasonable receipted expenses' under EU Regulation 261/2004, but he had yet to submit any receipts to the airline.

Rory Boland, travel editor at consumer group Which?, told MailOnline: 'Unfortunately for travellers, it's not uncommon for flights to be overbooked.

'Sometimes a last minute change of aircraft might mean less seats available than planned for, in other cases some airlines actively overbook, betting on 'no shows' to balance things out, while maxing their profits by charging for more seats than the plane can actually accommodate.

'If an airline ends up with too many people at the gate, it can't just bump someone from the flight because they didn't pay extra to reserve a specific seat.

'So long as the flight is either departing the UK, or flying into the UK on a UK or EU based airline, the airline is legally obliged to ask for volunteers before resorting to forcibly denying boarding.

'If you volunteer then you surrender your right to statutory compensation, so you should make sure you're happy with the amount you negotiate - at a minimum be sure to get at least get the amount you would be owed if the flight was cancelled - which would be up to £520 each for a long-haul flight, or less for a short-haul journey.

'If there are no volunteers, only then an airline can choose to deny a passenger boarding. Anyone who is bumped from a plane should have their flight rebooked as quickly as possible, and be paid cancellation compensation.'

Travel expert Nicky Kelvin, editor-at-large at The Points Guy , also told MailOnline: 'I would always recommend that everyone has a basic understanding of their rights before travelling abroad, as delays, cancellation and in this case being refused to board a flight can be extremely stressful and perhaps costly, especially if you do not know your rights and how you stand.

'The EU261/UK261 regulations outline the rights passengers have in instances such as this – for example if a flight is delayed or cancelled, travellers are generally entitled to care and assistance by the airline and could be eligible for compensation depending on the duration of the delay.

'Passengers who are faced with their flight being overbooked, resulting in them being denied boarding, will be entitled to compensation - the level of which depends on the length of the flight - the right to care like meals, accommodation and refreshments, and the option of rerouting at the earliest opportunity or at a later date that is convenient for the passenger, or a refund, from the airline.

'It is important to contact the travel provider as soon as possible and to keep copies of all reasonable expenses incurred, for example food at the airport, taxis back home or if you have to book alternative accommodation until the airline organises an alternative flight.

'When travelling abroad, I always advise travellers to book all travel on a credit card which includes a travel disruption policy, which will provide extra protection should there be any issues. These policies can help across delays, cancellations, lost baggage and more.

'If two or more people are travelling, I would always recommend booking a seat together ahead of time to ensure you're not only sitting in close proximity on the aircraft but also that you give yourself the best chance of being on the same flight in the case of overbooking.'

A Ryanair spokesman told MailOnline: 'This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (May 1) was not 'overbooked' - it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) but for operational reasons had to be swapped to a 737-800 aircraft (189 seats).

'As a result, 1 passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was reaccommodated onto the next available flight to Palma de Mallorca.

'Mr McCormick's travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight.

'Mr McCormick was notified by email on the day of travel (May 1) that he was entitled to claim back reasonable receipted expenses, however Mr McCormick has yet to submit any expense receipts to Ryanair.'