Flight delay and cancellation compensation, Ryanair ONLY

lolollor

I had a return flight from STN to BGY leaving on a Friday. The outbound leg was cancelled and I could only rebook via Ryanair's website to a flight departing on the following Monday night at 2210. Because this would have ruined my trip by cutting it short 4 days, I rebooked the return flights via the ryanair website and paid a rebooking fee (around £94 for 2 pax). The Monday flight ended up being delayed 9+ hours, eventually leaving Tuesday 0725. Reason for initial delay (2h) was cited as strikes, then reason for additional 7h+ delay was crew shortage (Ryanair's fault).

I have submitted a claim for the 9h delay via Ryanair's website but my question is whether I am entitled to a refund on the rebooking fee for moving the return flight as a result of the cancellation and 3+ day delay of rebooked outbound flight?

eskbanker

Trouble is, Ryanair don't really sell return flights as such, just individual point to point ones, so rebooking one flight as a result of a reschedule of another will be at your own cost.

However, if the original Friday outbound cancellation was due to matters within the airline's control (and you were notified less than two weeks prior to departure) then you may be entitled to compensation, over and above that for the delay of the flight that operated?

CKhalvashi

eskbanker said:

CKhalvashi said:

Alicantesquirrel said:

First time compensation claimer after a 3+ hour delay on arrival and have looked through the last few weeks posts but didn’t see an answer…

I used the form on the Ryanair website, but when I complete that process, it says “you are not entitled to compensation” as the flight was “disrupted due to air traffic control restrictions which was beyond our control”. It then goes on to say that if I wish to contest this (which I do), then I can take it to my ADR body.

I then went to the uk ADR, but I am asked there if I have claimed against the airline in writing and if so, do I have a final decision letter from them etc.

so, my question is whether the response on the Ryanair website to my claim there is effectively their final response or whether I still need to issue Ryanair with a letter and if so, where do I send it.

all help welcome, I get the feeling that this an end to end process designed to confuse and frustrate the end customer and it is working well….

You'll need a copy of it, but yes, that will be a final response from Ryanair.

If that was the reason for the delay (you will have to prove it wasn't) then Ryanair are correct.

The regulations place the burden of proof on the airline but they'll probably only offer a meaningful explanation once into the ADR or court processes:

An operating air carrier shall not be obliged to pay compensation in accordance with Article 7, if it can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

Being difficult here, ATC slot delay is a clear exemption to compensation, it would be difficult to go against that unless there is a clear trail showing an earlier slot (either departure, crossing or arrival) could have been obtained.

OH was asked by her employer to justify an overheard transmission of 'you can go now, at FL390 by xxx'. 350 was filed, 370 was possible, 390 wasn't, so that was fairly open and shut also.

I should have added 'in these circumstances' to my post and apologise for not doing so.

anniebea

mdann52 said:

anniebea said:

Does anyone have a postal address for Ryanair customer service? - My nephew needs to send a letter about a refund before following it up through the small claims court - their website is pretty unhelpful

Which bit of Ryanair operated the flight - Ryanair UK or Ryanair IE?

it was Ryanair uk

Becles

I flew from Newcastle to Milan Bergamo on Sunday 21st July. It was a Ryanair flight operated by AirMalta.

The airport screens all showed the flight going on time and none of the Ryanair staff we came into contact with at check-in or at the gate told us about a delay. 

I bought a small bottle of water in departures which would have been enough to see me through a two hour flight. (I have crohns disease, drink lots of water and eat small regular meals). 

The flight boarded quickly and the plane doors were closed early. At this point the pilot made an announcement that Bergamo airport ATC were on strike and he expected a delay of about two hours. The aircraft was moved from the gate to another part of the airport where we waited for nearly three hours before taking off.

During the three hours, I'd drank my water and asked if I could buy more. The plane crew refused to give out any refreshments and were complaining about people using the toilet in case the plane was suddenly given permission to take off. They also refused warm water for a baby's bottle, until the baby started screaming because she was hungry and the Dad got annoyed.

After finally taking off, the trolley service was incredibly slow. I was desperately thirsty and feeling a bit light headed by this point. I bought a drink and some biscuits and barely had time to finish them before we started the descent.

The flight officially landed 2 hours 54 mins after the scheduled arrival time. Am I correct in thinking no compensation is due? 

Do they have a duty of care towards passengers if you are sitting on the plane? If I'd known there was going to be a three hour delay before I boarded, I would have brought more water and a snack with me.

I did sent in a complaint, but it's been ignored so far.

damian_mitchell

Hello - just wanted a share a mini refund story with RyanAir. I was delayed for over 4 hours on a flight to Valencia in December, all sat on the tarmac at Stanstead waiting for a deicing machine. I followed the template to complain and RyanAir rejected it saying bad weather isn't their fault. I escalated, follow the tips outlined here and on the main site to Aviation ADR. They investigated and just ruled that not having a deicing machine available is a failure by the airline and they should expect to need one in December in Stanstead. Whole cost of the flight is being refunded. Thanks to the money saving team and community - it really wasn't much effort, just an initial message and some screenshots, and the system did it's thing (albeit slowly!). 

mdann52

Becles said:

I flew from Newcastle to Milan Bergamo on Sunday 21st July. It was a Ryanair flight operated by AirMalta.

The airport screens all showed the flight going on time and none of the Ryanair staff we came into contact with at check-in or at the gate told us about a delay. 

I bought a small bottle of water in departures which would have been enough to see me through a two hour flight. (I have crohns disease, drink lots of water and eat small regular meals). 

The flight boarded quickly and the plane doors were closed early. At this point the pilot made an announcement that Bergamo airport ATC were on strike and he expected a delay of about two hours. The aircraft was moved from the gate to another part of the airport where we waited for nearly three hours before taking off.

During the three hours, I'd drank my water and asked if I could buy more. The plane crew refused to give out any refreshments and were complaining about people using the toilet in case the plane was suddenly given permission to take off. They also refused warm water for a baby's bottle, until the baby started screaming because she was hungry and the Dad got annoyed.

After finally taking off, the trolley service was incredibly slow. I was desperately thirsty and feeling a bit light headed by this point. I bought a drink and some biscuits and barely had time to finish them before we started the descent.

The flight officially landed 2 hours 54 mins after the scheduled arrival time. Am I correct in thinking no compensation is due? 

Do they have a duty of care towards passengers if you are sitting on the plane? If I'd known there was going to be a three hour delay before I boarded, I would have brought more water and a snack with me.

I did sent in a complaint, but it's been ignored so far.

Given the length of flight, the "Right to Care" only kicks in if a delay is forseen to be 3 hours or more. There's also a good chance Ryanair wouldn't have know the length of any potential delay until they requested clearance to take off.

As you were less than 3 hours delayed, then no fixed-rate compensation is payable either.

fifeken

Becles said:

Do they have a duty of care towards passengers if you are sitting on the plane? If I'd known there was going to be a three hour delay before I boarded, I would have brought more water and a snack with me.

I did sent in a complaint, but it's been ignored so far.

After 2 hours delay the right to care would have kicked in, so yes you were entitled to care.  In my recent experience I ate and drank on board from the trolley service and sent Ryanair a copy of the bill which they agreed to pay a matter of hours later, with the money arriving in my account in another 6 - 8 weeks.

Hoenir

Becles said:

The flight officially landed 2 hours 54 mins after the scheduled arrival time. Am I correct in thinking no compensation is due? 

That's why the crew remain in take off mode. There's no knowing when the all clear will be given. Airlines aren't going to risk the payment of compensation to customers unneccessarily. 

danny_x

DENIED BOARDING DUE TO SMALL REPLACEMENT PLANE

I'm asking for advice on behalf of a friend who was denied boarding on a flight from Lublin because the plane was replaced by a smaller one, and she didn't get a seat, although she had checked in in good time. She got on the next Ryanair flight, which was not till 4 days later.

The Ryanair EU 261 guidance states that if you are denied boarding involuntarily you are entitled to the same compensation as for a delayed or cancelled flight. However, when she tries to complete their EU261 form, she gets the reply that that flight was not delayed or cancelled, and there isn't the option to enter anything else.

Has anyone else on here been faced with this situation, and how does one resolve it?

Thanks for any advice.