Woman thrown off Ryanair flight by police after allegedly failing to pay £7 for Pringles and drinks

According to The Mirror, 55-year-old Ann-Marie Murray, a housing association worker from Gloucester, asked for a can of Pringles, a bottle of water, and a cola during the March 28 flight. However, she claims she was unable to pay because the airline’s in-flight card machine failed to process her card, and she did not have any cash on hand.

Three police officers boarded the aircraft upon landing in Bristol and escorted her off the plane. She was then placed in the back of a police van. Ryanair said in a statement that crew members "called ahead for police assistance after a passenger became disruptive."

But Ms Murray denied being disruptive, telling The Mirror, “I wasn’t disruptive. There were no raised voices. I was doing my best to pay. I tried to tap and pay, but the machine didn’t work. They tried with another machine and when it still didn’t go through I offered to get cash when we landed but they said I couldn’t do that.”

She also said her partner offered to return the unopened can of Pringles to the crew, but they were told “no.” “I thought it was a joke when the crew said they had called the police,” she added. “I was shocked when the police came onboard and we were asked to leave. It was so embarrassing. I had done everything I could to resolve it.”

According to her account, crew members told the police she had refused to pay, but Ms Murray insists that wasn’t the case. “I wanted to pay, but my card didn’t work and I had no cash,” she said.

Ms Murray had been on a four-night mini-break with her partner in the Canary Islands to celebrate her birthday. She said the incident ruined the trip.

In a statement, Ryanair maintained that the passenger was removed after “ignoring crew instructions” as the crew tried to resolve the payment issue. A spokesperson said: “The crew of this flight from Tenerife to Bristol (28 Mar) called ahead for police assistance after a passenger became disruptive onboard.

“During this flight, this passenger attempted to purchase food onboard, however the card did not process payment. As crew looked to resolve the payment issue, this passenger proceeded to ignore crew instructions, consume the items prior to payment and subsequently became disruptive.

“The aircraft was met by local police upon arrival at Bristol Airport and this passenger was removed.”