A family fleeing Ukraine has been forced to separate after Ryanair crews refused permission for them to fly with their pet cat on board.
Scott Yardley, from Wishaw, had flown to Poland to help his wife Liza and her two teenage daughters as they struggled to arrange visas for entry into the UK.
The family was staying in hotels in Krakow while being forced to travel to different parts of the country before finally receiving the required UK entry visas at the weekend.
Scott, 40, initially thought his trip to Poland would only be for a few days but he ended up there for almost three weeks trying to navigate the 'shambolic' visa process.
They faced another hurdle just minutes before they were due to take off when Ryanair staff refused permission for them to fly with their pet cat, Dobby.
Scott told Lanarkshire Live: “Ryanair have a ‘no domestic pets’ policy, but I phoned the head office and told them our circumstances. They said they’d get back to me and they did, saying they'd make an ‘exception’.
“We were all sitting in separate seats in different parts of the plane when I noticed a commotion at the front. Liza was in the first row in seat A.
"There probably wouldn’t have been an issue, but there was nowhere to put the cat carrier.
“The flight staff said that headquarters said the cat couldn’t fly, I told them I’d spoken to Ryanair and they said Dobby could fly. I added that we wouldn’t have just walked onto a flight with a cat.
"At that point, we decided we weren’t separating.”
The family disembarked the plane following an impasse before insult was added to injury when they had to pay for coronavirus tests before being allowed back into Poland, despite not having left the ground.
“We went back through passport control and the guy wasn’t helpful there either, and we had to go for the Covid tests and pay £120 for them,” Scott continued.
After discussing their situation the family decided that Scott, Anya, and Ira would book new flights, while Liza would travel on her own with their pet.
Scott has complained to Ryanair and lodged a claim for a refund of fares. He was also left further out of pocket for check-in charges and taxi fares to and from the airport.
He arrived home with Anya and Ira at 1am on Monday morning, with Liza staying behind with Dobby, and will now travel by bus from Warsaw via Paris and London.
While Scott and the girls are glad to be home, Liza is not expected to arrive in Scotland until later in the week so they won’t be able to begin to settle properly until then.
“They are still a bit tender just now after what they’ve been through,” Scott added. “We just need to wait now to get Liza back.
"I’m shattered, but I need to go back to work on Thursday.
“My mum and dad have been brilliant, they’ve sorted out some bits and bobs for the girls to help them get settled in and I’ve just been for some messages.”
A spokesman for the airline said: “As per Ryanair’s T&C’s, animals are not permitted onboard the aircraft.
"Unfortunately, when Mr Yardley contacted Ryanair to query this policy under his specific circumstances, he was incorrectly advised by the call centre agent and believed he could travel with his pet.
“A member of our customer service department will be in contact with Mr Yardley to assist with his claim.”
