Fight for flight compensation
QMYSELF, my husband and children, were due to fly with Ryanair to France in September 2017. The flight was cancelled with only a day’s notice. It appears the problem was due to Ryanair staff going on strike so planes were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
We were able to rearrange the flights for the following day at a different airport which were less convenient both for departure and arrival. As we had paid in advance for our accommodation in France, we all lost a day of our holiday.
Upon our return we made a compensation claim under EU rules which say as we were delayed at least three hours on a flight under 1,500 km, we should get more than just a sandwich voucher.
As this happened so long ago, I feel we have been extremely patient. I have phoned Ryanair and was told my claim was in the system. Can you advise what my next course of action should be? Christine S
AYou wrote to Which? last May – eight months after the problem flight. We suggested you had three courses of action: forget about the whole matter – not recommended – or try a claims firms on a no win, no fee basis – but that would have meant losing about a third of any compensation. Your third choice was to pursue the complaint through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for Aviation scheme, which you selected. This helps avoid costly court cases and can deal with denied boarding, delayed or cancelled flights, luggage problems, disability issues and other factors impinging on passenger comfort and wellbeing. Ryanair argued cancellations due to strikes were “extraordinary circumstances” out of their control so not covered by Eu compensation rules. Extraordinary circumstances commonly include weather, terrorism, and drones shutting airports. uk watchdog the Civil Aviation Authority disputed Ryanair’s version. In December 2018, the CAA announced enforcement action against the airline. This has not been finalised but it would appear Ryanair is taking a more conciliatory tone. You have now received money back – €400 (£340) per passenger. The CAA has also reminded airlines they must offer stranded passengers flights on rival carriers to comply with Eu regulations.