We don’t have to compensate passengers for strike – Ryanair

PASSENGERS whose flights were cancelled by the pilots’ strike are not entitled to compensation as it is ‘outside our control’, Ryanair has said.

Some of the airline’s Irish-based pilots staged their third 24-hour strike yesterday in a dispute over working arrangements, including annual leave and promotions. The action led to the cancellation of 16 flights affecting some 2,500 customers in Ireland.

Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said passengers are entitled to a refund but not compensation. ‘I have said 95% have already been re-booked onto another Ryanair flight – and a small number have taken a refund. We have done that early to give customers these options,’ he said, adding: ‘This is outside our control so... compensation will not apply in this case.’

Ryanair has previously rejected the Commission for Aviation Regulation’s call for compensation payments to affected passengers. The watchdog said Ryanair should pay €250 to passengers whose plans were disrupted, the Irish Mail on Sunday previously reported. However, Ryanair indicated to our sister paper it had no intention of making such payouts.

Mr Jacobs told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland yesterday the strikes ‘are causing minimal disruption to our customers’.

Ryanair criticised the strikes as unnecessary and warned that, if they continue, there could be job losses.

Trade union Fórsa, which represents the pilots, said the pilots continue to seek a ‘fair and transparent method’ to govern employee transfers, which they say is common practice in the industry.

Meanwhile, Ryanair cabin crew in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy are due to strike today and tomorrow, affecting 100,000 passengers.