From multiple strikes to poor handling of racist passengers and impounded planes, Ryanair has not had the best year, and it might be getting worse for the budget airline.
Authorities are demanding that Ryanair pay thousands of UK customers they owe compensation to after flights were canceled and delayed over the summer due to staff strikes.
Ryanair's response? They refuse to pay.
The airline argues that financial compensation is not required under European Commission Regulation 261/2004 for flight disruptions resulting from airline staff strikes. With this response, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is taking Ryanair to court.
Ryanair passengers have put in more claims in 2018 than any other airline, and since Ryanair has denied all claims requests, passengers pushed their complaints to AviationADR, a group that provides alternative dispute resolution for travelers' complaints.
Ryanair informed the CAA that they don't recognize AviationADR since they terminated their agreement with the body. They also classify the strikes as "extraordinary circumstances," and therefore they aren't required to compensate customers.
The CAA says that the strikes were not extraordinary circumstances and customers deserve to be compensated.
"As a result of Ryanair's action, passengers with an existing claim will now have to await the outcome of the Civil Aviation Authority's enforcement action," the CAA said in a statement.
A Ryanair spokesperson told Express.co.uk: "Courts in Germany, Spain and Italy have already ruled that strikes are an 'exceptional circumstance' and EU261 compensation does not apply. We expect the UK CAA and Courts will follow this precedent."
Henrik Zillmer, CEO at flight disruption company AirHelp, said: "This latest development marks a watershed moment for both legislation and importantly consumer aviation rights, making it crystal clear that the ECJ ruling is binding and that all airlines are accountable to it."
"According to our own data, nearly a quarter of a million UK passengers - over 240,000 - were impacted by flight delays or cancellations following this summer's airline travel chaos. This represented a staggering 62 percent increase from last summer where around 150,000 passengers were affected."
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