Woman takes Ryanair ash cloud case to Europe

The right to compensation when an airline cancels a flight could be changed as a result of Dubliner Denise McDonagh’s case against Ryanair, which she has taken to the European Court of Justice.

The airline refused to pay her €1,129, which she claimed after her flight from the Portuguese airport of Faro was cancelled because of the volcanic ash cloud last April. She was stranded for nine days as a result of what Ryanair considered to be the unnecessary airspace closure following the eruption of the Iceland volcano.

Under EU legislation, passengers are entitled to compensation and hotel accommodation if flights are delayed or cancelled, even if the circumstances areconsidered to be “extraordinary”.