Aer Lingus complaints top Ryanair’s

AER LINGUS clocked up a higher rate of complaint than no-frills rival Ryanair among passengers departing from the three state airports in 2009, according to new figures from the Commission for Aviation Regulation (CAR).

Released yesterday, the CAR figures show 42 complaints were lodged against Ryanair by passengers departing from Cork, Dublin and Shannon airports, compared with 35 against the national carrier. However, because Ryanair carried two million more passengers than Aer Lingus, the rate of complaint per million was lower for Ryanair — 3.76 per million per annum compared to an Aer Lingus rate of 3.79 per million.

The bulk of complaints to CAR related to cancellations. The overall number of complaints in relation to cancellations stood at 204 in 2009, down from 304 in 2008. Long delays were down from 70 to 60, a 14% decrease. However instances of denied boarding shot up 120% from 20 in 2008 to 44 in 2009. CAR had jurisdiction over 139 of the complaints of which 113 were brought to a conclusion.