With just 11 days until West Ham travelled to Rapid Vienna for their final Europa League group stage away game, everything seemed to be going as planned.
Suddenly, the trip fell apart for just over 1,700 West Ham fans planning to make the journey to Austria.
Firstly, UEFA announced that Hammers supporters would be banned from attending due to “crowd disturbances” during their last match away at Genk.
This seemed like a harsh ban for a number of reasons. Firstly, there appeared to be minimal crowd trouble within the stadium. A flare went onto the pitch after a Said Benrahma goal and there were believed to be objects thrown towards home supporters but nothing that made headlines (except anti-Semitic abuse from fans on a plane, that was unconnected with the UEFA ban). The statement caught everyone, including the club, by surprise.
Money Wasted?
Ironically, UEFA announced the ban just hours after tickets in the away end sold out to West Ham fans with seemingly no care that genuine supporters had nearly all already booked flights, hotels and taken days off work. This led to many wanting refunds but travel companies were refusing.
Rising East spoke to West Ham fan Martin Blow who had his tickets, flights and hotel purchased. He said, “I booked flights with Ryanair for me and my son for £220 per person.”
He added, “When I contacted them (Ryanair) they said the flights are non refundable and don’t do credit. My hotel that cost me £140 said the same.”
Austria Enters Lockdown
When hope seemed to be diminishing for many supporters, there was a twist. Austria announced a few days later, in a decision that has since sparked much debate, that the country would be entering a full lockdown after a spike in Covid-19 cases. As a result, no fans (even of Rapid Vienna) can attend the game and no tourists are allowed to enter Austria.
This sudden change in circumstance actually benefitted some West Ham fans who were set to lose out on hundreds of pounds.
We spoke to Blow further and he said, “Fair play to Hotels.com (who he booked with) I chatted to them and despite it being a ‘non refundable booking’ they got me a full refund.”
However, Ryanair were unwilling to help and he has not been offered a refund: “Ryanair said they are not prepared to do anything at all,” he told us.
Ryanair Flying Empty Planes
This is because, shockingly the airline is still running the flight with no passengers. This means no customer is offered a refund as when a flight is still operational it is against Ryanair’s policy to reimburse customers.
At a time when global warming and protecting the planet is so important this seems irresponsible and thoughtless. Ryanair are yet to comment on this.
Surely not good for the planet that @ryanair flying empty planes to Vienna just so they don't have to refund passengers because of Austria's lockdown…
— Christian Radnedge (@ChristianRad) November 25, 2021
“Someone Had to Step Up”
Amongst all this chaos and the ever-changing rules regarding testing to enter a stadium in Austria, information communicated to supporters has been unclear with West Ham offering minimal support in clarifying fans concerns.
A West Ham fan, who goes by the name Edgware Bubbles/@KillerHeels_UK on Twitter has stepped up in the face of adversity and been the voice of information regarding travel to these European away games.
The Twitter threads have been influential in assisting supporters throughout this confusing turn of events.
Sharing Knowledge
Rising East spoke to Edgware Bubbles about her exceptional work, “the threads are a consolidation of news and advice for people to use as they see fit.”
She said, “I decided to help as I have a good knowledge of consumer legislation, gained from running my own business. People don’t know about section 75 for example, and that PayPal can help with goods not supplied.”
Edgware Bubbles is one of a number of fans who have been critical of the club in the way they have handled the affair, she claims, “West Ham are staffed by kids without a clue and apart from offering a refund and making sympathetic noises, they’ve essentially walked away.”
The club have not responded to these claims.
Advice On Away Days
On tips for West Ham’s future European away trips, Edgware Bubbles says, “I hope people will learn, albeit at an expense, to book travel insurance at the same time as their flights and to use a credit card direct with the airline wherever possible.”
She concluded by ensuring that she will be back researching and helping fellow supporters out for the next away day.
People wanted to thank Edgware Bubbles for her help so she has set up a Ko-Fi page where people can buy her a coffee as a thank you. A link to the page is here:
