CAR says Ryanair will have to pay compensation for cancelled flights

CAR says special circumstances do not apply
Ryanair says it is contacting all passengers tomorrow to reassure them

The Commission for Aviation Regulation has said Ryanair will have to pay compensation to passengers whose flights have been cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice.

The ragulator says on its website that passngers affected by the Ryanair programme of flight cancellations you are entitled to a choice of refund or rerouting. Compensation may also be payable depending on the notice period Ryanair has given. More information passenegr rights when a flight is cancelled is available here.

CAR says that passengers who remain unclear about their entitlements as set out in EC Regulation 261/ 2004, or who have further queries in relation to same, should contact this office at info@aviationreg.ie or on 1890 787 787 or + 353 1 6611700.

There is a clause iunder EC Regulation 261/ 2004 which says the airline does not have to pay compensation if there are exceptional circumstances behind the cancellation and the airline has taken all reasonable steps. The definition of that clause has been become more difficult for ailrines to evade in recent weeks and CAR beleives the leave issue at Ryanair does not fall into that category.

A spokesperson said it is likely the airline may have to pay out compensation because of its decision to cancel 40-50 flights per day over the next six weeks. The airline has so far given people notice of sometimes just hours and at most five days.

The airline has said it is emailing all passengers whose flights are cancelled and has informed anyone booked to travel on dates up to and including Wednesday. Ryanair said they will issue the next set of cancellations tomorrow.

The disruption is because of difficulties Ryanair is having managing a transition of its leave year from an April to March model to the calendar year of January to December as required by European regulations. Ryanair has said it messed up and apologised to passengers.

The compensation starts at €250 for flights up to 1,500km, €400 for longer EU flights and €600 for flights outside the EU longer than 3,500km.That compensation can be reduced by 50pc if the airline manages to reroute the passenger and get them to the original destination within two hours for short flights, three hours for longer EU flights and four hours for those flights outside the EU longer than 3,500km.

The regulations state that the compensation paid to passengers is separate to reimbursement of passengers’ expenses. Ryanair says it wil contact passenegrs booked between tomorrow and the end of October.

It said the vast majority of its flights will operate as normal and those passengers who are affected will be offered a refund or seats on a later flight.