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.
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)
Another VFTW classic! Anyone else remember the husband-wife-lounge one? I’ll never understand y’all who cut it so close, purposely.
The appropriate word here is Ryanair. Pay for a cattle truck experience expect a cattle truck like experience.
@George Nathan Romey — On the George N Romey scale, is ‘cattle truck’ better than ‘Cluster B,’ but worse than ‘Wawa’? It’s all Piggly Wiggly to me…
Believe it or not, those Ryanair dirt-cheap fares are still mostly eligible for EU261 compensation if they are severely delayed or canceled under the airlines’ control, so you could pay $20 for a flight, and earn $200 for the inconvenience.
Lol! RYAN AIR.POLISH GUARDS. BOOKING .COMARR YOU FRIGGI G KIDDING ? PERFECT.would never ever use their services even if was being taken to Dachau Gas Chambers
Try Ukraine Azov pro nazi country..!
Next time.after all crazy Boris endorsed the Genocide with senile Niden Frau x
@praveen, this is the most incoherent racist out of context comment I was unfortunate to read.
Letting one guy on and then purposely closing the flight as the next guy is literally standing there is a dick move and you know it.
You can transfer in KRK from non schengen. Flew ORD KRK MUC last year on an award ticket
@Norita writes:
> @praveen, this is the most incoherent racist out of context comment I was unfortunate to read.
AMEN!
@JT writes:
> Letting one guy on and then purposely closing the flight as the next guy is literally standing there is a dick move and you know it.
There’s a cutoff time. It doesn’t matter if it’s arbitrary, capricious, random, or not. What matters is that it’s SCHEDULED, it’s NOTICED, and the pax was late. He missed the cutoff time.
If he was “just behind the last guy” that’s why he didn’t get to board. Had he been “the last guy” he would have been aboard. Repeat that until it makes sense. If the GA had let him on AND JUST THEN ANOTHER just-behind-the-last-guy showed up, should the GA have let that guy on board also? Where does it stop?
It stops when the scheduled time arrives. Whether the driver has left with the bus, closed the doors, finished his coffee… all of that is irrelevant. The scheduled and noticed departure time has passed.
P.S. I’m a baldy. Maybe that means my expectation that a scheduled noticed departure time is absurd. After all – I have no hair. Or maybe pax is a dick. You decide.
Thank you, @Norita.
@Praveen b Singha — No. Just no.
@Ehud – you’re making the assumption that a chain of random late passengers are going to show up for the next 10-20 minutes, delaying the plane. Letting this guy on, should his story be true, serves literally zero purpose towards getting the plane out on time. It was just a dick move by the gate tech. Guy sucks. Whether the connecting flight was from them or not, if the guy is running to get to you, actually making an effort, and you are literally shutting the door in his face because “time”, and you think that makes you in the right, maybe rethink your life. I genuinely wonder how many other people you’ve utterly screwed over in your life because “rules”.
@1990 reading comprehension goes a long way. He cut it so close because his connecting flight cut it so close. Maybe his first flight was delayed. Maybe they didn’t have a gate at arrival. If Ryanair is selling the flights as “connecting”, they should do the courtesy of at least calling for checked in passengers over the intercom.
hey, I’m that passenger- ok, yeah, it makes a lot of sense and I was wrong, sorry
You can tell that someone is a world class asshole when they start screaming and shove their phone in your face.
I’m trying to remember any time in my life where throwing a huge childish fit ended up with a good result but it never has. That’s probably good because otherwise even more people would act horribly.
@PowerTripWithoutPower — If only I could read… *burp*
I had a similar experience but for different reason. Had a “ticket agent” put me to the side then vanished. I mentioned that I needed to get on the flight to a few of the door agents who told me that boarding was closed. Asked the ticket agent that came by shortly after she left where Tabitha went and he said “Tabitha is a flight attendant…. oh crap.”
I got to express my displeasure when they brought her out for an explanation of why she told me there was an issue and she would only be a minute.
Turns out she liked my seat and wanted it for herself.
@AsmodeusHare — That is indeed unfortunate and probably seemed really unfair to you at the time. Like, objectively, not a good way for that individual to have handled the situation if your assumptions were correct (she took your seat!)
Regardless of that bad incident, hopefully, you (and others) recognize that not all flight crews are ‘bad’ or ‘selfish,’ like that one appeared to be at that time. Or, we can ignore that noise, remove our inhibitions, and try out ‘collective punishment’ as an over-reaction to any and all woes!
@AsmodeusHare — One other idea: You could have forced your way onto the flight, and gotten involuntarily ‘removed’ like Dr. Dao (more blood, the better), then seek a large cash settlement from the airline. That’d be ‘winning.’ Who knows, you might be able to afford to fly private if the payout was good enough… I mean, I don’t legitimately recommend any of this, but, ya gotta ‘commit to the bit.’
It’s amazing how many commentators only read the headline but didn’t read the whole story.
@anon — It’s amazing… how you added absolutely nothing to this conversation, so far.
1) Why does the Ryanair agent cover his badge and refuse to give his name? If the agent handled boarding closure appropriately by the book, they should have nothing to hide. The passenger is unhappy but respectful in the shared video.
2) Who sold the ticket(s)? Did some entity sell the passenger one itinerary? (If so, with what notice/disclaimers?) Or did the passenger buy 2 separate tickets on their own?
3) At this moment in time, Ryanair’s terms & conditions actually state the boarding gate closure occurs 20 minutes before departure:
6.7
You should be at the boarding gate for your flight at least 30 minutes before the departure time. The boarding gate will close 20 minutes before departure. If you arrive at the boarding gate later than this, you will not be allowed on the plane.
https://www.ryanair.com/us/en/useful-info/help-centre/terms-and-conditions/termsandconditionsar_1379164564
@ Michael K, your info comes from the US link with Ryanair DAC. The correct Ryanair UK link on that page is clearly 30 minutes before for closing gate. Search the regular site, same 30 minutes. I’m not posting this to one up you. But, I think it is pretty clear that it is not 20 minutes, and I’d hate for a reader here to get stranded over incorrect information (ok, maybe a few……).
“Why does the Ryanair agent cover his badge and refuse to give his name? If the agent handled boarding closure appropriately by the book, they should have nothing to hide. The passenger is unhappy but respectful in the shared video.”
Because the GA is smart and knows this pax is the type that would show his badge or repeat his name online. The pax never let the GA respond and talked over him. Why? Because maybe we’d hear GA say something like, “that person who just got on was here >30 minutes before departure and you arrived just now, [fill in some number < 30]" The pax had 20 minutes to get off the plane, through passport control, and walk to the gate if the plane was on time (50 min connect less 30 min requirement to be at gate). I believe his plane arrive 6 minutes late, so 14 really.
@comes to mind
“the pax never let the GA respond”
The agent was point blank asked for his name, was allowed to respond, and chose to respond with longer answers to different questions he wasn’t asked at that time (“you can make a complaint about the gate”… “you can go to the cash desk and they will rebook you for [tomorrow?]”)
It’s irrelevant what “type” the pax is. If you are too fearful to share even your first name, then you shouldn’t be interacting with customers at all, much less in a position of authority that requires wearing a badge.
I see the article has been updated with a link to an FAQ answer which is referred to as a “published rule” by Rynair of 30 minutes. Even though someone reading the legal contract of carriage on Ryanair’s US website (updated 08 September 2025) would encounter a conflicting rule of “20 minutes”. The UK contract does say “30 minutes”, however the flight in question doesn’t touch the UK either. If I try to check the Polish rules it links to 4 different contracts depending on whether the flight uses the airline code “FR” or “RK or “RR” or “AL”. Future flights I found on this route generally use “FR” and the Polish “FR” contract does currently say “30 minutes.” But an American booking this route would see “20 minutes” if they read the contract.”
Not a superb look for the narrative that this is a meticulous responsible airline clearly documenting and following its own rules.