Flight delay and cancellation compensation, Ryanair ONLY

Justice13075

Please re-post on the Ryanair thread

darloscot

Ryanair kindly left me and my wife stranded in Lisbon last night. 5:40pm Flight to Manchester was cancelled at very last moment. I was through the final boarding pass check at the departure gate waiting for the bus to the plane. The priority boarders were already on board, then the flight was suddenly cancelled. No real communication, but the rumour was that there was no pilot. We were told by the staff at the gate that there was no chance of a flight that day, and in all liklihood it would be towards the end of the week!! Not practical when you have work and children to get back for. They bussed us from T2 to T1 to collect our bags, and then wanted us to find our own way back to T2 to go to the Ryanair helpdesk. Given there were loads of people who didn't have to collect bags, and there was another Ryanair flight also cancelled, I thought it would be a waste of time going to T2 when they had already told us there were no flights that day and probably none until the end of the week. So I sorted ourselves out and booked flights with another airline via Dublin. This meant booking a Lisbon Dublin flight that night and an early Dublin Manchester flight. Total cost for flights was an eye watering €1400 for two of us, but at least we got back to Manchester by 7:30am the next day. In addition to the flights I booked a hotel in Dublin airport €129, bought some food that night and in the morning €30, and had to pay an additional £20 at the airport carpark as it was the next day for collecting car.

So, what chances of getting some money back and what is the best approach? I did have travel insurance, but only fairly basic and it doesn't cover flight distruption, so I think Ryanair is my best chance. I can of course claim a refund on the original flight (about £220), and/or I can go for the Regulation 261/2004, which I think would be €800 given the ddistance of the flight. But even if I could get both I am still well out of pocket. Can I claim for the full amount of the flights? What about the hotel (does it matter that it is in a different country?). And finally the food and carpark. Also, have I damaged my clai by not going to the Ryanair helpdesk at the airport? I suspect if I had then I would not yet be home! Any advice beyond just claiming the Regulation 261/2004 compensation and the flight refund would be greatly received.

EDIT: Looked at Ryanair website. Seems lots of flights cancelled yesterday. Blaming bad weater in Italy (out of our control!). Not sure how that is relevent for a Lisbon to Manchester flight!

jpsartre

darloscot wrote: »

Also, have I damaged my clai by not going to the Ryanair helpdesk at the airport?

I would say so. You should have at least given them a chance to sort you out before making your own arrangements.

darloscot

jpsartre wrote: »

I would say so. You should have at least given them a chance to sort you out before making your own arrangements.

Trouble is it would have taken at least 30 min to get back over to the terminal, and then I would have been at the back of a 200 people queue. Their staff had already told us their were no flights that day and unlikely to be any for several days. If I had gone to their desk I would not have got home this morning, so I think I acted reasonably.

alexthepenguin

Situation:
My Ryanair flight from Sofia to London was cancelled on 10 September with no prior warning. They did not announce the reason for the cancellation but a quick research on that internet showed that’s because the inbound (London – Sofia) flight was cancelled (although I’m not sure why they cancelled that flight)

The next available flight that Ryanair is able to offer us on 14 September. I cannot afford to wait till then as I need to get back to work. So I took a refund and make an alternative arrangement to go back to London 11 September which costs almost £400. (My original Ryanair ticket was only around £100).

Questions:
Do I have a valid claim for the EU flight delay/cancellation compensation, i.e. is it the airline fault? What happens if the inbound flight was cancelled for a reason that is beyond their control?

Would I be able to claim the cost of making an alternative arrangement from Ryanair? Under the moneysavirngexpert website it says if the flight is cancel I have a right "either a refund for the flight that was cancelled or an alternative flight (airlines call this re-routing) to your destination." Does alternative flight cover the alternative arrangement that is made by me and not the airline?

Additionally I have a travel insurance with my Nationwide flexplus account..I spoke to a representative on the phone which told me I might be able to claim for the cost of alternative arrangement if I can justify the reason why I can't wait till Thursday but there is no guarantee they will pay out. Just wondering if anyone who has a similar experience that they could share?

Will I be able to make a claim on my travel insurance if I am already claiming on the EU statutory compensation?

Also as a side Ryanair told us the next available flight (both direct and indirect) is on Thursday but they only offer to put us up in a hotel for one night. Surely that's not lawful?? (This doesn't affect my situation though - just curious)

Thanks a lot.

Tyzap

alexthepenguin wrote: »

Situation:
My Ryanair flight from Sofia to London was cancelled on 10 September with no prior warning. They did not announce the reason for the cancellation but a quick research on that internet showed that’s because the inbound (London – Sofia) flight was cancelled (although I’m not sure why they cancelled that flight)

The next available flight that Ryanair is able to offer us on 14 September. I cannot afford to wait till then as I need to get back to work. So I took a refund and make an alternative arrangement to go back to London 11 September which costs almost £400. (My original Ryanair ticket was only around £100).

Questions:
Do I have a valid claim for the EU flight delay/cancellation compensation, i.e. is it the airline fault? What happens if the inbound flight was cancelled for a reason that is beyond their control?

Would I be able to claim the cost of making an alternative arrangement from Ryanair? Under the moneysavirngexpert website it says if the flight is cancel I have a right "either a refund for the flight that was cancelled or an alternative flight (airlines call this re-routing) to your destination." Does alternative flight cover the alternative arrangement that is made by me and not the airline?

Additionally I have a travel insurance with my Nationwide flexplus account..I spoke to a representative on the phone which told me I might be able to claim for the cost of alternative arrangement if I can justify the reason why I can't wait till Thursday but there is no guarantee they will pay out. Just wondering if anyone who has a similar experience that they could share?

Will I be able to make a claim on my travel insurance if I am already claiming on the EU statutory compensation?

Also as a side Ryanair told us the next available flight (both direct and indirect) is on Thursday but they only offer to put us up in a hotel for one night. Surely that's not lawful?? (This doesn't affect my situation though - just curious)

Thanks a lot.

Hi Alex,

It looks, from what you have said, like you are due compensation and a duty of care while you are stuck there, all the time, not just one night.

They should have offered to re route you as well as offering you the option to wait there for the next flight, as a four day wait is ott.

To make the right choice RA should have given you a written set of details of the EC261 rule containing the options your were being offered.

If they did not do this you would not be able to make an informed decision.

You should also be able to claim your return flight cost back.

Please google and download 'Vaubans guide' which has a link to the regs, down towards the bottom. Have a good read and then ask any other questions you have here.

Good luck.

marchamona

Thanks to recommendations from MSE, I claimed from Ryanair for a 3 hour + delay. Sent claim form with bank details (UK bank) as requested, then a few days later received an email saying they'd pay me €500. Too much, the official amount should have been €400. Couple of days later another email telling me a 'cheque' would be dispatched to my home address.so why did they need bank details? Amount was €400, converted to sterling at a rate that nowhere on this planet could you get at the time (2 weeks ago). Cheque was for £ 295.40, meaning exchange rate was 1.35 euros to the pound sterling. Very pleased and grateful for the compensation....but that exchange rate!!

JPears

That is an unacceptable exchange rate. If a case goes to court the judge will award on the exchange rate at the time of his judgment, not the time of the al delay. I suspect RA have doen the reverse as its in their favour. Complain and demand an additional amount using todays exchange rate. Point out that you have already corrected them once, when you could have kept quiet and accepted arpayment than was due.

John6661

So I was due to fly Faro to Manchester on Tuesday 12 September but as I was travelling to the airport I got a message to say the flight was cancelled. They are obliged to offer me a refund or alternative flight but they said the next available flight was Saturday 16th. As I had to get back to work and with a 7 month old child,the alternative flight was not a realistic option. I booked a flight back with Monarch 13 th September.
Ryanair state the cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances.Air traffic control strike I understand.
While I can get the return leg cost refunded, this will not cover the cost of the Monarch flight I arranged..
Is the alternative flight offer of "wait 4 days" deemed acceptable? Guidance seems to say an alternative should be offered but no timescale. But hanging around for at least 4 days wasn't a realistic option.
Can I claim for the difference in the cost of the 2 flights as I was delayed for approximately 18 hours overall?
Anyone who can offer advice here that might have undergone a similar experience?

Many thanks

legal_magpie

This is right but as you've now had the compensation it would not be sensible to sue them for the exchange rate difference.