Ryanair warned by EU to comply with regulations

RYANAIR has been warned that it must comply with EU regulations and fully compensate passengers affected by the severe disruption to air travel.

All airlines must pay for meals and accommodation for stranded passengers and there will be no exceptions, the EU has warned.

Ryanair and a number of other European airlines are refusing to abide by the EU regulations, which insist passengers are entitled to meals and accommodation when their flights are delayed.

Passengers must also be refunded the full cost of their ticket, including charges and airport taxes, or be offered alternative transport to their destination, such as on a bus or train.

European Commission spokeswoman Helen Kearns said: “We are very concerned about reports coming in from various parts of the EU and we are in constant contact with the national authorities.”

Her comments were echoed by Ireland’s Commissioner for Aviation Regulation, who said passengers had to be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred as result of the fallout from the volcanic ash cloud that grounded thousands of aircraft.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary insisted his company would defy EU regulations and only offer customers a refund on their tickets. In a contradictory statement on the Ryanair website, Mr O’Leary said: “While we will consider all passenger requests for reimbursement of reasonable receipted expenses over the past week, any such reimbursement will be limited to the original air fare paid by each passenger.”

He said that passengers seeking expenses in such extraordinary circumstances is “ludicrous”.

Mr O’Leary said he would wait for his day in court. “There’s no legislation designed that says any airline getting a fare of €30 should be reimbursing passengers many thousands of euro for hotel accommodation. It’s absurd,” the airline chief said.

He said he will see Ireland’s Commission for Aviation Regulation in court.

Mr O’Leary said consumer travel rules for airlines should be updated to put planes on an equal footing with bus, train and ferry operators with the carrier only liable for the original cost of a fare. Mr O’Leary said blame for the chaos caused by the shutdown lay at the door of governments.

He said he accepted airports had to be closed for the first couple of days but after meeting with manufacturers and regulators he questioned whether the near week-long blanket ban was necessary. “I don’t have a problem with everything being grounded for a day or two but there should have been a much faster response by the governments and transport ministers and by the regulators,” he told RTÉ.

He said one of the issues he wants addressed is why the airlines are expected to be reimburse people for hotels, meals and everything else when the governments are the ones who made a mess of it. Ryanair insisted it was not making the case for a bail-out or state aid to cover passengers expenses.

However, Aviation Regulation Commissioner Cathal Guiomard said Ryanair must comply with the 2004 EU regulation. “It is not an option for the airline,” said Guiomard.

“Whilst the commission appreciates that the financial implications for airlines of the recent events are significant, it wishes to point out that the position adopted by Ryanair is incompatible with EC Regulation No 261/2004.

“The rights of passengers in respect of expenses incurred in relation to care and assistance measures are required to be fulfilled by the air carriers, notwithstanding the circumstances of the current difficulties affecting the aviation sector.”

He urged passengers to submit copies of their receipts directly to their air carrier for reimbursement. In the event of a dispute complaints may be lodged with the Commission as the national enforcement body for Ireland,” he said.

* Commission for Aviation Regulation, Alexandra House, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2.

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