Travel firms: ignoring reality is costly, stressful and pointless

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( May 06, 2022 [The Independent]( As some of our politicians are discovering with the overnight local election results, eventually reality catches up with you. Wing and a prayer: view from my Ryanair Boeing 737 shortly after take-off from Faro on Portugal’s Algarve coast “The car is full of fuel.” After half-an-hour of batting back offers of rental vehicle upgrades, I thought I was finally free to drive away from the Avis office in Lisbon this week. But switching on the ignition revealed the tank was less than three-quarters full. Another round of paperwork ensued before the journey could begin. Then at the end of the rental, after replenishing the tank to the same level, I was charged almost £50 for refuelling. I can get it reversed only by sending "before" and "after" photographs of the fuel gauge plus a copy of the petrol receipt. Frankly, I have better things to do. Such as reporting on Ryanair’s lost grip on reality. Minor irritation over car-rental charges is nothing compared with the emotional and financial costs that Europe’s biggest budget airline has imposed on some of its passengers. Ryanair is fundamentally a superb airline, the safest in the world. Yet the Irish carrier has been creating and applying weird rules on passport validity. On Monday, 15-year-old Zak Schoneville and his family turned up at Glasgow Prestwick airport at 4am, two hours ahead of their Ryanair flight to Tenerife. His passport was perfectly valid for travel to the EU. Yet [Ryanair ground staff prevented Zak – and by extension his parents and sister – from travelling](. I advised them to re-book on Jet2, which flew them away on holiday without question. Then I tackled Ryanair. [The airline initially told me: “A child's passport must be no more than five years old on the date of travel.”]( This is simply untrue, as is the pretence that British adults “must make sure that their passport is not used during the extended validity from the 10-year date”. (Meanwhile, some of easyJet's customer service agents have continued to [falsely tell passengers they need six months left to run on their passports]( to enter the EU.) For weeks Ryanair's invented rules have needlessly deprived people of holidays and family trips, while [increasing the potential number of claims against it](. Finally, yesterday evening,[the airline told me it is aligning with the actual rules and notifying its ground staff accordingly](. From this morning, no one should be turned away from a Ryanair flight when they are legally permitted to travel – and those who were victims of made-up rules can begin their claims for compensation. Get inspired...   [Ultimate guide to Bangkok]( Where to stay, eat, drink and shop in Thailand’s flavour-packed gateway [I'm an image]( [Solo travel]( When independent adventuring collided with the ‘Great Resignation’: meet the workers who quit the nine to five and hit the road [I'm an image]( [Sustainable stays]( From flight-free forays to rewilding projects making a difference, here are seven of the best holidays balancing eco-credentials with a good time Tip of the week: Jubilee weekend rail planning   A four-day UK bank holiday weekend will take place from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. A wide range of rail engineering projects are planned, which means buses replacing trains between Leicester and Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate, Lewisham and Hayes, and Pontypridd and Merthyr Tydfil. Many rail companies have still not revealed their plans: check before travelling. One bright point: 5 June will be the only Sunday for several months on which the [new Elizabeth Line will run](. Deal of the week: Half-price Interrail   For international rail fans, this is the deal of the decade. As Interrail celebrates 50 years of enabling unlimited travel across Europe, the organisation is halving the cost of “global passes” for the next few days. Buy between today and 10 May to get access to the national railways of more than 30 nations, as well as some ferry lines. The original one-month pass costs €335 (£279) with the offer, less than £10 per day. Supplements are payable for many express trains (including Eurostar from London to France) and all sleeper services. Further discounts apply for under 28s and over 60s. Under 12s travel free. Trips can be booked for 11 months from time of purchase – so you could buy now and travel next Easter, by which time remaining Covid restrictions on international travel may have been lifted. [Why Interrailing is the best way to explore Europe as an adult]( Travel voucher of the week [Book a Stena Line ferry plus hotel together and save up to 20%]( Question of the week   Best city in Europe? Q Last week you wrote glowingly about Milan – but which is your all-time favourite European city, and why? A My short list comprises five eastern cities: Istanbul, Kyiv, Odessa, Tallinn and [Tbilisi](. Common to each is a spectacular, wide-screen location combined with handsome architecture and close-up beauty; deep history and vibrant culture; friendly locals; and great places to eat, drink and stay. I urge you to visit each and every one, and I would return to any of them in a heartbeat. Just writing their names brings happy recollections of sights, sounds and flavours. They are thrillingly exotic to British senses. To narrow the choice, I shall dispense with the first and last, Istanbul and Tbilisi, to avoid heckles of the “but are they really in Europe?” variety. Tallinn and Odessa revel in coastal settings on the Baltic and Black Sea respectively. But there can be only one winner, and it must be the Ukrainian capital. As I hope millions of tourists will discover when it is safe to visit, Kyiv is vast yet accessible, decorated with exquisite churches, heroic architecture and monuments to courage. [Read The Independent's city guide to Tallinn]( Stat of the week 10,570 The number of miles on the most direct track between London and Sydney. [Qantas this week announced it will link the two cities with nonstop flights from late 2025]( What you might have missed   - Opening this month: [London's much-delayed Crossrail project, known as the Elizabeth Line]( - Ehic error: [EasyJet apologises after telling passenger their Health Insurance Card was worthless]( - Virgin U-turn: [London-New York flight returns to Heathrow after airline realises one pilot does not meet its qualification standards]( Simon’s diary   Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My DMs are open and I read all direct messages, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 3.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](   Essential reading Which destinations still require a pre-travel Covid test?]( Articles available exclusively to subscribers [What lies beneath: Exploring Lake Lucerne by submarine](   Other newsletters you might like [US Morning Headlines] US Morning Headlines Weekdays, 12pm (UK time) Written by Andrew Naughtie [Sign up]( [Climate Warrior] Climate Warrior Every Wednesday, 8am (UK time) Written by climate activists [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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