My disabled mum was left alone in Hamburg airport

My disabled 84-year-old mother was due to return to the UK on a Ryanair flight after visiting me in Germany. I had booked special assistance to help her on to the plane.

- Anna Tims

After I'd checked her in, assistance staff pushed her wheelchair to the departure gate and told her they would return to help her to her seat on the aircraft once boarding commenced.

That is as far as she got on her journey. Ryanair completed boarding and must have ignored all warnings that a passenger requiring assistance was missing because the flight departed with her luggage still onboard, including her diabetic medication. She was left stranded at the gate and I only managed to recover her from security several hours later.

We then had to spend the weekend trying to track down her luggage. My brother, meanwhile, had wasted a two-hour trip to Stansted to meet her.

I had to purchase a new ticket for her and accompany her back to the UK myself as my brother was by then away. I also had to hire a car at the other end.

Ryanair has refused to refund me for the missed flight or the consequent expenses, stating that special assistance is the responsibility of a third party. However, our contract was with Ryanair and the special assistance was part of the booking.