Tristan Dudouet, 35, was travelling from London to Lyon, France with his partner Mona, 30, and two-year-old daughter Naia when he was forced to pay £126 by budget airline Wizz Air

ristan, Mona, and Naia in Lyon, France.
Fuming parents forced to shell out £126 ahead of boarding the Wizz Air flight(Image: Jam Press)

A furious couple claim they had no choice but to cough up £126 on top of their Wizz Air air fare.

Tristan Dudouet, 35, was travelling from London Gatwick to Lyon, France alongside his partner, Mona, aged 30, and their young daughter Naia. He claims that he attempted to check in online and pay for adjacent seats three days prior to departure, but technical issues on the airline’s website thwarted his efforts.

Holding out hope, Tristan believed he might rectify the situation at the airport. However, upon arrival at Gatwick, he claims their worst fears were confirmed when staff informed him he’d have to fork out an extra £126, on top of the ticket prices.

While Tristan believed the charge was so the family could sit together, it appears it is actually a late check-in charge. Wizz Air’s spokesperson has argued that the late check-in fees were made clear to the family, and that the extra payment had nothing to do with the seating arrangement.

READ MORE: Ryanair hand luggage rules explained – how to avoid extra charges at the airport

Tristan, Mona, and Naia.
Tristan Dudouet was flying from London Gatwick to Lyon, France with his partner Mona, 30, and two-year-old daughter Naia(Image: Jam Press)

The shocked parents grudgingly paid the hefty fee, believing they had to do so to guarantee proximity to their little one for the journey. The additional expense incurred at the airport was more than a sting, as it significantly eclipsed the original cost of £30 each for their fares.

However, Wizz Air has argued that the parents have the wrong end of the stick, and that the fee was for late check-in, rather than to sit with their tot,

Describing the added financial burden, Tristan, hailing from Oxford, expressed his grievances to Luxury Travel Daily: “It added a lot of stress to the travelling.” He added: “A lot of people are tight on money and would have to take their child home instead of going on holiday. I felt like they were looking at me like a piece of meat and wondering how much money they could get out of me. I was so frustrated and we didn’t have a choice but to pay.”

The frustrated dad continued: “I’d tried to check in online a few days before but it wouldn’t let me. Basically, you can’t check in online with your toddler before 24 hours. The only window to check in online with your child for free is 24 hours to two hours before departure time which is a tight window. So if you try too early then you don’t have the option to check in online for free with your toddler.”

The customer felt misled by the process, adding that “the rules aren’t made clear and it seems like they’re meant to confuse the customer”. He had hoped that what he believed was a glitch would be resolved at the airport. “I thought it was a problem with the website and I’d be able to sort it at the airport because we had to sit with our daughter. It feels like they’re trying to catch you out.”

The incident happened when they took a flight on 9 March.

A Wizz Air spokesperson told the Mirror that one parent will always be sat with a child when flying. They added: “When passengers are travelling with children up to 14 years old, our booking system automatically assigns seats together for the child and one adult passenger. We cannot guarantee that the whole family will be seated together if they do not book seats together – this is clearly stated on the Wizz Air website. To guarantee being seated together as a whole family, customers can pick their seat of choice for a fee before departure.

“Like many other airlines, Wizz Air encourages all passengers to check-in online as early as possible before their scheduled departure time. We aim to make check-in simple for passengers and provide instructions during the booking process, on the Wizz Air website and via email reminders on how to check-in online to avoid fees.

“Customers who have not purchased seats with their booking, can check-in online 24 hours before departure via the Wizz Air app or website. At this point, they also have the opportunity to purchase a seat.

“Passengers who fail to check-in online, or who wish to check-in within three hours of their flight, must do so at the airport. This service can be pre-booked online for £11.50 or €13 per flight. Airport check-in without pre-booking costs £35.50 or €40.00. Full details on our check-in policy can be found on the Wizz Air website.

“To ensure customers receive updates about their booking, we always recommend booking directly. When customers book via a third party, Wizz Air does not receive any contact details of the customer – only those of the agent. The booking agent receives all flight information and details of the check-in process, which they should pass onto the passenger.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *