Thousands stranded as Ryanair strike grounds nearly 400 flights
RYANAIR passengers claimed they faced chaos during a 24-hour strike which left British holidaymakers stranded throughout Europe.
Many complained they had missed weddings or lost more than a day of their holiday, with waits of up to 10 hours in airports.
Once travellers managed to reach their destinations, airports faced a backlog of passengers, some of whom claimed they had to wait hours to retrieve luggage and clear passport security.
Staff in Ireland, Germany, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands are staging a 24-hour walkout over pay and conditions.
The airline said 396 flights were cancelled, forcing passengers who had planned to travel yesterday to rebook or take different routes.
Ryanair planes have a capacity of 189, meaning more than 74,000 travellers may have been affected.
One passenger Lara Cohen claimed she was left on a hot, grounded plane at Stansted for two hours without water.
She told The Daily Telegraph that she was supposed to be on a morning flight on Friday from Stansted to Nuremberg but strikes meant the timing was changed to 7.30pm. This flight was then delayed, she claimed, with the gate not opening until 9pm.
Ms Cohen said: “We then sat on the hottest plane for two hours – many of us escaped and stood on the stairs. They would not give us any water or let the majority of people off. By 11/11.30ish they cancelled the flight completely.”
A Ryanair spokesman said: “All flights were cancelled in advance and all customers were contacted and notified of their options. Over 2,000 Ryanair flights (85 per cent) will operate as normal today carrying almost 400,000 customers. Ryanair took every step to minimise the disruption.” ♦a holidaymaker has complained after his family were moved next to lavatories at the back of a plane to make way for Wayne Rooney’s family. Mark Chassin, 51, claimed his party of six were bumped from their pre-booked seats to allow the footballer’s wife, Coleen, and three of their children to sit together on a Jet2 flight from Manchester to Faro, Portugal. Mrs Rooney said she had no knowledge of the incident. The airline said the change was needed for “safety and operational” reasons because children were not allowed on aisle seats at the back.