Ryanair gave compensation to just 14% of passengers – 500 people – last year as airline hit by strikes
RYANAIR is in the middle of a series of strikes by staff, which has led to hundreds of flights being axed this summer.
But if passengers want to try and claim compensation for cancelled flights, it seems they have little chance of success, as just 14 percent of people who asked received it.
New research by has shown that fewer than 500 Ryanair passengers were awarded compensation in 2017.
This is despite the Aviation ADR, the firm that helps to settle disputes over airline compensation, receiving over 3,600 complaints about the airline.
Figures are looking even worse for 2018, with over 2,400 flight delays and cancellation complaints already received in the first quarter of 2018.
Of these complaints, only 282 people have received compensation.
While 98 have been told they won’t receive a penny, thousands more passengers are still waiting to hear back on their claim.
The airline stated last month that it won’t be paying compensation for cancellations and delays to any passengers affected by the strikes.
However the official body that oversees and regulates airline travel in the UK says it should do.
Which? contacted the Civil Aviation Authority, who said that the airline needs to pay out to customers affected.
How to claim compensation for a cancelled Ryanair flight
If your flight has been cancelled with less than 15 days’ notice then you should complain to the airline first.
If they say no to your claim, the next step is to approach the Aviation ADR - a dispute resolution scheme that has the ultimate decision on whether a claim is valid.
It doesn’t cost anything to claim with Aviation ADR and Ryanair are legally obliged to comply with their decision.
You can submit your complaint to the AviationADR via their
The airline sector covers complaints against any major airlines, budget airlines or international airlines where the flight in question arrived or departed (or was due to arrive/depart) from a UK airport.
One of their complaint handlers will firs determine whether your complaint falls within AviationADR’s jurisdiction and then they will try to solve the situation with a recommendation for both the airline and passenger.
If either party disagrees with the recommendation, the complaint will be passed to an adjudicator for a final decision.
A spokesperson from told Sun Online Travel: “The airline is legally obliged to pay compensation to passengers whose flights are cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice, unless it can prove that the cancellations were caused by what’s known as ‘extraordinary circumstances’.
In most cases, the figure will be €250 (£220) per person and it could be more for some longer flights.
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The recent strikes by French Air Traffic Controllers are considered to be ‘extraordinary’, as they are outside the airline’s control.
“However, the CAA has confirmed that strikes by Ryanair’s own employees are its responsibility and should be eligible for compensation."
They added: “The CAA said: ‘When a flight cancellation is caused by strike action by the airline’s employees, the airline is required to pay compensation to passengers in respect of the cancellation of the flight, if it has not warned passengers of the cancellation at least two weeks prior to the scheduled time of departure.’”
Aviation ADR told Which? that passengers should try and claim if they’ve had a cancelled flight due to the strikes because so far, all complaints that we have processed in relation to strike action at Ryanair have been determined in favour of the passenger, predominantly on the basis that we have seen no evidence to substantiate any submissions that the cause of such delay amounted to ‘extraordinary circumstances'.”
But it added: “We understand that Ryanair is submitting further evidence in relation to the current pilot and crew strikes.
“Once received, we will review the evidence to decide whether it has any impact on the outcome of any passenger complaints that we have not yet determined.”
Which? advises that if your flight has been cancelled with less than 15 days’ notice then you should complain to the airline first.
If they say no to your claim, the next step is to approach the Aviation ADR - a dispute resolution scheme that has the ultimate decision on whether a claim is valid.
It doesn’t cost anything to claim with Aviation ADR and Ryanair are legally obliged to comply with their decision.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor said: "Another summer of nightmare flight cancellations for Ryanair customers reinforces why it is so important that passengers get the compensation due to them.
"It is vital that passengers are not deterred from pursuing legitimate claims against airlines by a slow and cumbersome system."
He added: "The CAA must ensure the dispute resolution system is working for consumers, while the Government should look at introducing automatic compensation to stop Ryanair and other airlines from wriggling out of paying passengers the money they are owed."
A Ryanair spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: "The findings in Which?’s article fully supports Ryanair’s Customer Services policy and confirm its efficiency, confirming that all valid claims are paid on first contact by Ryanair at Customer Services level.
"As part of our 2018 ‘Always Getting Better’ programme, we committed to handling all valid EU261 claims within 10 working days.
"The fact that a low percentage of passengers were awarded compensation at ADR level demonstrates that Ryanair’s Customer Service team are correctly handling most claims."
"The vast majority of denied claims are due to extraordinary circumstances outside our control (such as weather or ATC delays).
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They added: "The UK ADR are independent and regulated by the CAA, we have no interference in their policies and procedures. We fully comply with their rules and deadlines assigned.
"We encourage any passengers who are not satisfied with Ryanair’s own complaints resolution to take them to ADR for free and independent resolution instead of going to claims chasers, who often end up deducting up to 50 per cent of compensation entitlement in excessive fees."
Sun Online Travel previously revealed that one in six Ryanair flights will be cancelled tomorrow - here's what to do if yours has been.