‘We booked to travel with Ryanair but were gobsmacked when we boarded plane’

A couple who travelled with Ryanair were left stunned at what they found after boarding the plane. Their journey wasn’t exactly what they expected it to be like

There’s nothing quite like escaping to warmer destinations – the only snag is – occasionally the flight to reach there doesn’t always unfold as anticipated. This was precisely the experience for Roxana Mihaela who recently secured a ticket with Ryanair to embark on a sunny getaway.

In a recent TikTok clip, she outlined what occurred after she reserved a window seat with the carrier. In an honest video, she and her partner were left stunned after stepping onto the aircraft and making an astonishing revelation. Whilst it might have been unforeseen, it’s evident they couldn’t resist finding humour in the circumstances.

Across a segment of the footage, Roxana captioned: “POV: You book a window seat with Ryanair.” You can observe her partner seated beside where the window ought to be yet, there’s no window visible, and it’s not the first occasion someone has been disappointed with a window seat on an aircraft.

The clip has been watched more than 14,000 times since being posted, with viewers being swift to respond. They offered various thoughts to contribute.

One individual highlighted a crucial point, commenting: “The fact that this seat has no window is mentioned on the website. Why did you book it?”

Another contributed: “When booking your seat, Ryanair tells you there is no window in that seat. If you don’t pay attention, it’s not their fault.”

A third responded: “Literally, when you book it, it says ‘no window’.” Some people held differing views though, as a fourth commented: “Ryanair is the best.”

Another person added their experience, saying: “11A. Oh no. My mum got that seat on a plane to Spain a couple of weeks ago.”

In the comments section, Roxana revealed she was seated in 14F, and others admitted they had previously made the same error. It seems many are aware that it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a window view.

The Irish airline Ryanair is highly respected in the UK for its budget-friendly fares. These prices allow travellers to visit over 235 destinations globally at competitive rates.

Seat 11A on Ryanair flights has become a hot topic in online forums. It’s the only “A” seat on the aircraft without a window. The seat has now gained considerable online attention, with numerous videos under the hashtag #seat11a on TikTok showing users grumbling about it and poking fun at those who opt to sit there.

Ryanair has been quick to respond to some passengers who have raised this issue in the past, teasing them for not being more attentive when selecting their seats. They’ve also provided evidence that all passengers who booked seat 11A were forewarned about the absence of a window.

A video shared last year garnered over 600,000 views and a deluge of comments after highlighting this issue. One user queried: “Why doesn’t it have a window?” to which Ryanair humorously responded: “They’re overrated.”

Despite the situation causing considerable discussion, Ryanair cannot be held responsible for the windowless seat; it’s actually down to the engineering behind the Boeing 737 cabin air conditioning system.

On contemporary aircraft, air conditioning is provided by two “packs” that control the airflow and temperature throughout the cabin. Most aircraft will feature two packs positioned near the main landing gear.

High-temperature air is drawn from the engines or auxiliary power units to the two packs, which cool it down before distributing it into the cabin.

The cooled air travels from the packs to the passenger cabin through a network of ducts built into the aircraft’s side. Unfortunately, one of these ducts is positioned alongside seat 11A in the Ryanair 737-800 cabin.

It’s worth mentioning that the positioning of the ducts means that seats 12A, 12F, 14A and 14F on any Ryanair aircraft will also have partially blocked windows due to the system. This is why it’s always crucial to double-check the small print the next time you reserve a window seat.