NOW RYANAIR RUINS HOLS FOR 400,000 MORE PASSENGERS
Airline axes another 18,000 flights as pilot rota fiasco continues
RYANAIR yesterday axed another 18,000 flights due to lack of pilots, just days after its last fiasco.
It will hit 400,000 tourists. Which? said: “Ryanair is cancelling Christmas for some.” The CAA may punish the firm for not telling passengers their rights.
A RYANAIR pilot last night branded the firm an incompetent shambles over its latest flight cancellations fiasco.
The employee laid into bosses as chief executive Michael O’Leary announced he was axing 18,000 trips over the winter – just hours after pledging there would be no repeat of the rota blunders earlier this month that hit 340,000 passengers.
And the debacle will rumble on until March. O’Leary sparked fury when he declared the latest cancellations were “sensible”, despite the fact 400,000 passengers will be left without flights.
Hours earlier, the Irishman had apologised to customers for “messing up” flying rotas the last time round and vowed: “There will be no repeat of last week’s cancellations.”
But pilots snubbed his grovelling offer of a cash incentive to fly extra hours, leaving him unable to plug the gaps. Consumer group Which? said: “Ryanair has effectively cancelled Christmas for passengers.”
And the angry pilot, who has worked at the airline for six years, added: “The company all of a sudden now thinks it has solved its pilot shortage by cancelling more flights. Unfortunately the crisis is going to get worse.
“It would appear the management team are completely out of their depth, they are wholly incompetent.
“This f***-up has been made from the comfort of an office.
“As a pilot if we f*** up while landing a 65-ton jet with 195 on board, the consequences are unthinkable.”
One crew member branded the rota reason an “excuse” and claimed the real reason O’Leary cannot staff flights is because pay and conditions are so awful workers are quitting. Others described pilots as “ticking timebombs” unable to “cope with the stress”.
The latest crisis affects 34 routes. The airline offered passengers affected a refund or an alternative flight.
They will also receive a travel voucher for up to £80. Another 10 routes will also be affected over the summer. Ryanair confirmed it will ground 25 of its 400 planes until March 2019, losing four million passengers.
The Civil Aviation Authority could take legal action against the firm for failing to give passengers correct information about their rights over the recent cancellations.
EasyJet has announced it could be flying battery-powered planes within a decade.
RYANAIR’S existence as an airline should be in doubt when it is destroying the plans of tens of thousands of passengers by grounding an extra 18,000 flights.
Who in their right mind would gamble on booking a seat with the carrier now?
The company has nobody to blame except itself should travellers never return.
Boss Michael O’Leary should be dipping his hand into Ryanair’s till to fully compensate customers for booked hotels and hire cars, as well as seats, in what is fast becoming the world’s worst airline.
No corporation is too big to fail. Ryanair should recognise that.