A passenger filmed a Ryanair gate agent in Krakow denying them boarding while they were standing in the gate area used to board a bus out to a remote stand. They repeat they were “5 seconds late”, that he’s “transiting in Krakow” off a Manchester flight, that he could see the bus still at the gate – and that the agent “let the last guy on” just ahead of him.

The agent, though, insists that boarding is closed. He’s “done talking” to the passenger, who heads to the Ryanair ticket desk to “make a complaint.” He captions the video as “this baldy made me miss my flight” but that really isn’t true. His own ticketing decision is what made him miss the flight.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SamObadTV (@samobadtv)

The passenger flew Manchester to Kraków, and was ‘connecting’ Kraków to Tirana. There would have been about an hour to make the transfer.

• The gate closes 30 minutes before scheduled departure. (Ryanair updated its terms and conditions last year to say 30 minutes, up from 20 minutes.)

• Ryanair check‑in and bag‑drop closes 40 minutes before departure.

Ryanair does not transfer passengers or bags, even across their own flights. The second segment is a separate ticket and this is a self-connect.

If you miss the second flight, that’s a no show and you’re on your own. The airline offers a €/£100 “Missed Departure” fee, available less than 40 minutes before and up to 1 hour after the scheduled departure, to move you to the next available Ryanair flight (subject to availability).

The airline relies on aggressive turns. Re‑opening a closed flight (and possibly re‑printing load sheets or adjusting documentation) can delay a departure, particularly at bus gates. The bus still being there isn’t the controlling factor, where the agent could easily ‘just let the passenger on.’

There’s no EU261/UK261 protection for self‑transfers. The “final destination” for the first ticket is Krakow. If they arrived on time, or less than 3 hours late, there’s no compensation.

Plenty of comments seem to misunderstand some of these basics.

• “If the bus is here, they can let me on.” Once the flight is closed, adding a passenger can require system re‑open, coordination with ramp/dispatcher, and potentially new paperwork—a non‑starter for a carrier prioritizing an on-time push. The physical presence of a bus doesn’t mean ability to board.

• “I had a connection; it’s on Ryanair.” Ryanair doesn’t sell this as a connecting itinerary. It’s a self‑transfer, entirely at risk to the passenger.

• Gate closure timing. A lot of commentary quotes 20 minutes. Today’s published rule is 30 minutes.

While people seem sympathetic to the passenger and angry at the “jobsworth” gate agent who could have “easily” let him on because “the bus was still there.” But this is entirely on the passenger.

(HT: One Mile at a Time)