Summer chaos fear at Ryanair

TODAY’S planned Ryanair strike may be the beginning of a summer of chaos and frustration for its passengers.

The dispute is set to go ahead despite seven hours of intense talks with pilots yesterday – and the airline now admits it ‘cannot rule out further action’ in the coming months.

Although cancelled flights will affect 5,000 passengers, Ryanair insisted more than 90% of them had been accommodated on alternative flights to the UK or received refunds by 5pm yesterday.

The airline said that due to the impasse, it was forced to make alternative plans and cancel up to 30 of today’s scheduled 290 flights between Ireland and the UK in advance. ‘We regrettably must plan for disruptions and try to minimise their impact, especially upon Irish customers and their families travelling on holidays to Portugal, France, Spain, Italy and Greece,’ it said.

Ryanair did this by cancelling a number of flights on ‘high-frequency routes’ from Ireland to London.

Despite claims on social media about not being informed about cancellations, the airline insisted yesterday that all customers on cancelled flights received text and email notification of these cancellations yesterday morning.

Yesterday’s talks led to an agreement to set up a working group, but collapsed after the sides failed to agree to a terms of reference for the group. Neither side had held out much hope of a solution and scores of passengers took to social media to vent their frustration.

One of them, Len Collin, said on Facebook: ‘No flights out of Newcastle for Dublin due to strike. And no email... just a text to say check email... you are the worlds worst airline bar none.’ Another claimed a surprise 30th for her sister had been ‘ruined’ by the strike. Typical comments were about passengers’ inability to get information they needed.

But Facebook user Finbarr O Regan wrote: ‘These pilots have well paid jobs. When unions get into any place this is what happens.’