Ryanair not paying compensation

PhylPho

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Why should the airline pay compensation? It's not their fault (for a change).

I thanked you for your post on the possibly wrongful assumption you're employed in Ryanair's Public relations Department.

Many apologies if you're not.

PhylPho

dmg24 wrote: »

I would not be surprised if other airlines followed suit. As always, the relevant legislation is open to interpretation and perhaps this is the opportunity for it to be tested?

I can see both sides of the argument - passengers have incurred costs as a result of the cancellations, but the airlines have also incurred costs through no fault of their own. I am not sure what the answer is, but I can see it dragging on for a long time.

DMG: It's no fault of your own if the property you're living in is suddenly hit by subsidence or by flood and although you've insured as best you can against that kind of eventuality, you nevertheless finish up having to pay out a small fortune.

That's the way it goes with every flood victim. Every subsidence victim.

Of course, if you're running an airline on the basis that the profits you're targeting are only realisable if you skimp on the kind of 'insurance' that ensures you trade according to EU regulations, then that's a different ball game alotgether.

As any insurance assessor would say if you'd skimped on your house cover: well, OK, I can see how you wanted to save money. . . but we're not going to make up your loss for you: you had the choice, you made the decision.

Ryanair's business model seems to provide no head-room at all for the equivalent of subsidence or flood.

Instead of paying the premium -- i.e., charging enough to be able to bank enough funds to cope with any catastrophe -- Ryanair has, seemingly, not done so.

But note. . .

I did say "seemingly".

One of Europe's most cash-rich airlines, with a CEO who is one of Europe's richest businessmen, I'm actually surprised that Ryanair, somehow and for some reason, currently finds itself so utterly unable to help people who have suffered far, far more than Mr O'Leary ever has or ever will.

Surely, it can't be a case of sheer, downright greed??? What, Ryanair?

mikey72

PhylPho wrote: »

Funny though it may seem, and I appreciate the line was penned light-heartedly, this is exactly the wrong attitude to take towards this carrier at this precise moment in time.

O'Leary has always displayed behaviour characteristic of a contempt for customers of his highly lucrative, highly profitable business.


So now: Ryanair is refusing to comply with the duty of passenger care to which it has knowingly signed up as a carrier operating within EU regulations within EU airspace.

O'Leary / Ryanair is contending that -- despite the fact Ryanair is, by virtue of its business practices, one of the most cash-rich carriers in Europe, with a bank balance Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways must envy -- it "cannot afford" to pay people more than the basic cost of the cheap ticket these cheap punters were cheap enough to buy.

Undortunately for Mr O'Leary, here's a Reality Check:

An EU carrier that doesn't conform to EU regulations rapidly ceases to be an EU carrier at all.

Because to fly European airspace you have to be licensed.

And EU aviation agencies and authorities will make damn sure there's no licence for Ryanair if there's no full and fair payment to Ryanair customers according to EU regulations.

I appreciate: the possible closure of Ryanair would be a tragedy for all the nice people who work for Ryanair. Especially if O'Leary decided to scuttle off to Kazakhstan and try to run his operation out of there (hey, goodbye and good luck.)

But Ryanair's demise would definitely not beany kind of tragedy for all those consumers -- of whom there are surprisingly many -- who do not count amongst life's priorities cheap access to a hen party in Latvia or a drunken stag outing in Poland.

In any event, Ryanair's loss of licence and demise would be attributable solely and exclusively to Mr O'Leary himself, albeit that this may arguably have little if any impact on him: a multi-millionaire -- and I do mean, "multi" -- O'Leary is as insulated from the hardships and miseries suffered by Ryanair passengers as any feudal baron in any medieval castle was insulated from the suffering from the serfs and yokels beyond the walls.

(Or, in Ryanair's case, call them "customers".)

He's rich. You're not. Tough.

I do hope Michael O'Leary or one of his acolytes is reading this thread. I do hope Michael O'Leary or one of his acolytes is reading this post.

And as for getting a pennysworth of "compensation" for his multi-millionaire self, and for his all-too dispensable airline, from the pockets of the British taxpayer. . .

Dream on, O'Leary. Dream on.

* To all Ryanair customers:

(1) Press your claim against Ryanair: you're legally entitled to the duty of care O'Leary is now laughably saying he / his airline cannot afford;

(2) Report in writing to your local MP details of your quest to receive that to which you are entitled: any deceit, any obstruction, any lies, any refusals by Ryanair should and must be placed on record.

The reason for keeping your MP involved is because she / he is your representative at Westminster and, funnily enough, Westminster is the one destination O'Leary and Ryanair will never be able to successfully reach nor misrepresent, whether or not it re-christens it Westminster-Penzance or Westminster-Inverness.

£multi-millionaire Michael O'Leary and his Irish airline have no God-given right to ride rough-shod over any customer, anywhere, or at any time.

It's now your opportunity, as a consumer, to remind him of that.

* The above, excepting references to one of Europe's richest men, also applies to any other carrier (BMI, BMI Baby) which may now come crying that the rules it signed up to in order to make a profit are the same rules that are impeding that profit.

He did actually,

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0326/ryanair.html

(he got told off by the judge for mis representing what he said, but not by the minister he sent it to.

reformedEffortMaker_2

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Why should the airline pay compensation? It's not their fault (for a change).

LeeSouthEast, I am still in greece, I should have returned to England last Saturday. Perhaps if you were looking at things from that perspective you would have a different view. Ryanair were well aware of the EU rules on 'duty of care' when they signed up to them, so I ask you, why should the airline not pay compensation?

Rather than charging £1 per flight, Ryanair could just charge more, and then they would have the money for such incidents (as other airlines have). In greece, Easyjet have been really good with helping people with food and accomodation!!!....

Funny how after 9/11 no airlines were complaining.....as the government were reimbursing them back any lost earnings they didnt care about cancelled flights and disruption.....the government could easily have said "terror bombings not our fault, why should we pay?"
I say if the group protest doesnt work, just stop using RyanAir unless you're happy to put up with such tripe

Mr_Lahey

I agree with O'Leary.

It wasn't the fault of Ryanair people were stranded nor were Ryanair the one's stranding passengers. The fact that airspace was closed is the reason passengers were stranded.

How anyone can possibly blame the airline or seek compensation from this really is beyond me.
The reality is Ryanair cancelled your flight due to safety reasons completely beyond their control, the law prevented them from getting you to your destination/home - How can they possibly be liable to compensate you?

reformedEffortMaker_2

just to make sure we are all talking about the same thing when we say 'compensation',.....I have assumed we are referring to food and accomodation whilst you are stranded.

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

I agree with O'Leary.

If O'Leary doesnt agree with the rule, why on earth did he sign up to it then??!!

PhylPho

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

I agree with O'Leary.
How can they possibly be liable to compensate you?

Sigh. . .

Funny though how O'Leary thinks *you* should be liable -- via your own taxpayer's endlessly deep pocket -- to compensate *him*.

But of course, he's an impoverished individual providing an airline as a public service out of the kindness of his heart.

So that's all right, then.

* Sorry, meant to add: what is it about the current situation where other carriers are displaying "duty of care" but which somehow exempts Michael O'Leary and his airline from that selfsame duty?

Mr_Lahey

Did O'Leary cause the Volcanic eruption - No.
Did O'Leary refuse to fly planes - No, he was forced.
Has O'Leary let everyone effected change their flights free of charge - Yes.

How can he possibly be at fault?

reformedEffortMaker_2

Mr_Lahey wrote: »

Did O'Leary cause the Volcanic eruption - No.
Did O'Leary refuse to fly planes - No, he was forced.
Has O'Leary let everyone effected change their flights free of charge - Yes.

How can he possibly be at fault?

I ask the question again, If O'Leary doesnt agree with the rule, why did he sign up to it then??!!

System

i must admit i agree with Ryanair. If you buy a ticket for a plane for 10 euros then in situations like this outside the airlines control it seems unfair you can claim hundreds of pounds back on accomodation. When UK people are stranded in foreign countries because of a national emergency like has happened, I believe its the governments responsibility to look after its citizens and i think they've let people down in their handling of this crisis. People who were in genuine need of accomodation and food and couldn't afford to pay themselves should have been looked after by the local embassy.

Air transport should be in the same bracket as getting a coach or train. If a flight is cancelled you should be entitled to exchange your ticket for a free ticket on the next available route.

At the end of the day when flights came back on today i went on Jet2 to try and get a flight home for my Mum and Sister from Malaga and they wanted to charge me €700 for two flights, I went on Ryanair and they only charged me €220 for two flights. I think when people are clammering for flights home and only charging €110 I think that Ryanair was pretty reasonable!