Ryanair clarified its refund and re-routing process due to heavy pressure by authorities!
Ryanair clarified its refund and re-routing process due to heavy pressure by authorities! Ryanair announced its first phase of cancellation on 16th of September and another phase of cancellation on 18th of September. The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) launched enforcement action against Ryanair for the allegedly “persistently misleading information regarding customer`s rights”.
Steps from the CAA:
On 18th September the UK CAA wrote to Ryanair to clarify their legal obligations, and the CAA sought assurances around how and when Ryanair would reroute passengers onto alternative flights.
On 27th September Ryanair announced another 18 000 cancellations. The Irish airline allegedly again failed to provide customers with the necessary and accurate information relating to their passenger rights, particularly around rerouting and care and assistance entitlements, which includes expenses.
After the last phase of cancellations CAA expedited enforcement action against Ryanair. The Irish airline on 29th September met with the Irish Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR) and agreed to implement a series of steps.
The steps agreed with the CAR are as follows:
- Ryanair has issued a clarification email to all affected customers outlining their rights to refunds, re-routing on Ryanair or on other comparable transport options and expenses. Ryanair has an obligation to re-route passengers to their final destination at the earliest opportunity, even by another airline. It means to offer re-routing on alternative airlines or to alternative airports as appropriate. If re-routing means passenger has to stay an extra night, Ryanair must provide care and assistance at its expense; for example, hotel accommodation, meals and refreshments and transport to the hotel. For deatils see below.
- Ryanair has also today issued a press release explaining to customers how and when they will be re-accommodated on other Ryanair flights or other airline flights. This press release will be displayed on the home page of Ryanair’s website from 29th September
- Ryanair has updated the FAQ pages of its website to reflect all of these changes.
Ryanair has also replied to UK CAA, agreeing to meet its requirement for customer clarification on Ryanair’s EU261 obligations, which are in line with those requested by the CAR.
Refund Option:
A full refund will be given of an unused flight sector and associated fees. If the disrupted flight is their outbound sector, customers will also be offered a full refund of the return sector.
Re-routing options:
- Ryanair moves the customer to the next available Ryanair flight on the same route. If this option is not available same or next day, then;
- Ryanair moves the customer to the next available Ryanair flight from/to a suitable alternative airport/s (for example: Luton or Gatwick in the case of Stansted). If this option is not available same or next day, then;
- Ryanair offers the customer re-accommodation on any one of its agreed disruption partner airlines to their destination as follows: Easyjet, Jet2, Vueling, Cityjet, Aer Lingus, Norwegian or Eurowings airlines. If this option is not available same or next day, then,
- Ryanair offers the customer re-accommodation on any comparable alternative transport (another airline flight, train, bus or car hire) with the cost of this comparable transport ticket to be assessed on a case by case basis.
Under EU261, Ryanair will also reimburse any reasonable out of pocket expenses incurred by customers as a result of these flight cancellations, subject to receiving an EU261 expense claim form from customers supported by original receipts.
