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  1. #1
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    BBC News Ryanair faces 20m euro compensation bill over cancellations


    Ryanair could face up to 20m euros (£18m) in compensation claims after cancelling thousands of flights due to a shortage of pilots, it has warned.
    The budget airline plans to cancel 40-50 flights every day for the next six weeks, after it admitted it had "messed up" the planning of pilot holidays.
    An internal memo seen by the BBC suggests the pilot shortage could continue until the end of the year.
    There is no suggestion this means the disruption will extend beyond October.
    In a letter to pilots, chief operations officer Michael Hickey said the firm's crewing forecast to the end of December was "for tighter pilot numbers".
    The letter shows Ryanair pilots were only informed on 13 September of the staff shortage facing the company yet Mr Hickey outlined that it knew last year they may face a leave backlog.
    Pilots have been asked to work during their booked holiday to cover the gaps and their rota pattern is also likely to be disrupted.
    In the letter, Mr Hickey said these pilots would be "helping protect the integrity of the operation during the remainder of the flight year".
    Ryanair also faces pressure to publish a full list of the flights it plans to cancel every day amid growing anger among customers.
    So far it has only published a list of affected flights up until Wednesday.
    Consumer rights group Which? said: "It's essential that Ryanair release a full list of flights that will be affected so that passengers have as much time as possible to make alternate arrangements."
    The airline has blamed a backlog of staff leave for the disruption, which could affect up to 400,000 passengers.
    Ryanair is changing its holiday year, which currently runs from April to March, to run from January to December instead.
    This has led to large numbers of its staff taking holidays in September and October.
    Reports on Monday also suggested recruitment problems were affecting the airline and that it had lost pilots to rival Norwegian Air.
    A Norwegian spokesperson said: "We can confirm that 140 pilots have joined us from Ryanair this year. Pilot recruitment is also underway for more pilots for our new Dublin base opening later this year."

    Analysis: Could the flight chaos last until the end of the year?

    Susannah Streeter, BBC business correspondent @BBCStreeter

    A letter to Ryanair pilots from the firm's chief operations officer Michael Hickey, seen by the BBC, forecasts tighter pilot numbers until the end of the year.
    The airline has only published confirmed flight cancellations until Wednesday but has said the disruption will continue until the end of October,
    The letter shows Ryanair pilots, many of whom are on self-employed contracts, were only informed on 13 September of the staff shortage facing the company yet Mr Hickey outlined that it knew last year they may face a leave backlog.
    Pilots have been asked to work during their booked holiday to cover the gaps and their rota pattern is also likely to be disrupted.
    One anonymous Ryanair pilot has told the BBC that the leave issue is a red herring and that the root cause of the problem is that too many pilots are leaving Ryanair and the company is struggling to train up new crew.

    Customer anger

    The airline has promised affected customers alternative flights or refunds. However, many have reacted angrily to the cancellations on social media and called for a full list of affected flights to be released.
    Karen Higgins tweeted: "Yet another day of constant checking to see if our flights are safe or cancelled! Cmon @Ryanair help us all out! Get the updates done!!!!"
    Dee Moloney tweeted: "Have 2 trips booked in the next couple of weeks. Excitement of trips now replaced with worry!... Won't be flying with @Ryanair again."
    Ryanair marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said affected customers with bookings up to 20 September had been informed.
    "We will cancel 40 to 50 flights daily for the next six weeks, less than 2% of our schedule, with a slightly higher number initially, as we begin to implement these cancellations," he said.
    "Flights are operating as scheduled unless an email confirming a cancellation has been received."
    He said the airline would continue to send regular updates and post information on its website, with the next set of cancellations to be issued on Monday.
    Shares in Ryanair were down 2% on Monday afternoon.

    What rights do passengers have?

    The EU compensation rules for cancelled flights are as follows:

    • Passengers are entitled to assistance and compensation, if the disruption was within an airline's control.
    • Airlines have to offer full refunds, paid within seven days, or rebookings for a flight cancelled at short notice.
    • In addition, passengers can also claim compensation.
    • Cancellation amounts are: 250 euros (£218) for short-haul, 440 euros (£384) for medium-haul and 600 euros (£523) for long-haul.
    • Passengers who reach their destination more than three hours late can be compensated from 200 to 600 euros, depending on the length of flights and delay.


    Has your Ryanair flight been cancelled recently? Are you a Ryanair pilot? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
    Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:


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  2. #2
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    BBC News Ryanair to publish full list of cancellations


    Ryanair customers whose flights are being cancelled, will receive an email by this evening informing them, chief executive Michael O'Leary has said.
    The budget airline plans to cancel 40-50 flights every day for the next six weeks, after it admitted it had "messed up" the planning of pilot holidays.
    The details of all the cancelled flights will be on the Ryanair website over the next 24 hours, the firm said.
    Mr O'Leary said most people would still be able to fly on the same day.
    If not, they would be moved to flights the day before or the day after and the airline would meet its obligations over compensation.


    However he said Ryanair would not book passengers onto flights with rival carriers.
    "We will not pay for flights on other airlines, no. It is not part of the EU261 entitlement," he said, referring to European passenger rights legislation covering cancelled flights.
    He said the airline did not have a shortage of pilots, but said they had "messed up" the rosters for September and October.
    "This is our mess-up. When we make a mess in Ryanair we come out with our hands up," he said.
    "We try to explain why we've made the mess and we will pay compensation to those passengers who are entitled to compensation, which will be those flights that are cancelled over the next two weeks."

    The EU compensation rules for cancelled flights are as follows:

    • Passengers are entitled to assistance and compensation, if the disruption was within an airline's control.
    • Airlines have to offer full refunds, paid within seven days, or rebookings for a flight cancelled at short notice.
    • In addition, passengers can also claim compensation.
    • Cancellation amounts are: 250 euros (£218) for short-haul, 440 euros (£384) for medium-haul and 600 euros (£523) for long-haul.
    • Passengers who reach their destination more than three hours late can be compensated from 200 to 600 euros, depending on the length of flights and delay.

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  3. #3
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    BBC News Ryanair pilots reject bonus to work through cancellation crisis


    A group of Ryanair pilots has rejected a cash bonus to work extra days after the airline cancelled 2,100 flights because it "messed up" crew holidays.
    In a letter seen by the BBC, pilot representatives from 30 of the company's 80 or so European bases have told bosses that most are not enthused.
    They want new contracts and better working conditions instead.
    Ryanair had offered captains a one-off payment of £12,000 or 12,000 euros, and first officers £6,000 or 6,000 euros.
    But the letter said: "The pilot market is changing, and Ryanair will need to change the ways which the pilots and management work together to ensure a stable and common future for everyone".
    New contracts, it says, "should help stop the large number of colleagues who are leaving for "greener pastures"
    It also asks to bring in professional negotiators to help broker a deal.
    They have given the airline until tomorrow to respond.
    One pilot told me that this is their one chance to improve conditions at work.
    The letter comes from staff based all over Europe including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden.
    The BBC understands that pilots in Dublin have rejected an offer from the company potentially worth £10,000.
    In recent days I've been contacted by almost 20 current and former Ryanair pilots telling me that the company is losing unhappy crews quicker than it can replace them.
    They all told me that a shortage of pilots is the key reason why so many flights have had to be cancelled in recent days.
    But it is a claim strenuously denied by the airline's boss Michael O'Leary.
    It seems that, for the first time, scattered Ryanair pilot reps are joining forces in some numbers - often making contact over social media - because they have spotted a chance to collectively bargain for new, improved contracts.
    I asked Ryanair what they made of the counter-offer but they haven't got back to me yet.
    The big question now is, if pilots decide to escalate things, say, a work to rule for example, will Ryanair be able to get through the next few weeks without having to cancel yet more flights?
    At the weekend Ryanair decided to cancel 40 to 50 flights every day for the next six weeks.
    Ryanair said earlier that it had sent out emails to 315,000 affected customers on Monday, telling them about flight changes, alternative flights and refunds.
    It added: "These cancellations are not a result of pilot shortages. Ryanair has enough pilots to operate the planned schedule.
    "However, a combination of [air traffic control] capacity delays and strikes, weather disruptions and the impact of increased holiday allocations to pilots and cabin crew as the airline moves to allocate annual leave during a nine-month transition period (April to December 2017) to move the airline's holiday year (currently April to March) to a calendar year (Jan to Dec) from 1 January 2018 onwards, has meant that some crew would exceed their maximum permitted hours (under EU regulations) if they were not allocated time off at this time."
    This means it does not have enough pilots to crew all its scheduled flights this month and next.
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  4. #4
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    BBC News Ryanair admits management 'failure'


    Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said the firm is facing a "significant management failure" as it struggles to cope with massive flight cancellations.
    The admission came at the budget airline's annual general meeting, which is being held in Dublin.
    Ryanair is cancelling 40-50 flights every day for the next six weeks, after it admitted it had "messed up" the planning of pilot holidays.
    A group of Ryanair pilots has rejected a cash bonus to work extra days.
    Ryanair had offered captains a one-off payment of £12,000 or 12,000 euros, and first officers £6,000 or 6,000 euros, but they said they wanted new contracts and better working conditions instead.
    'Bloody nose'

    Mr O'Leary told the AGM that Ryanair was planning to take back one week of its pilots' holidays to prevent any further cancellations.
    He said pilots who had a four-week block of holidays coming up in the next few months because of rota changes would be told to take three weeks instead and have the other week in January.
    He said the firm did not need pilots' agreement for the change.
    Mr O'Leary said the cancellations had cost Ryanair about 25 million euros (£22m).
    He accused unions of trying to give the company "a bloody nose" and said staff did not want union representation.
    'Greener pastures'

    In a letter seen by the BBC, pilot representatives from 30 of the company's 80 or so European bases turned down the cash bonus offer.
    They wrote: "The pilot market is changing, and Ryanair will need to change the ways which the pilots and management work together to ensure a stable and common future for everyone."
    New contracts, the letter said, should help stop the large number of colleagues who are leaving for "greener pastures".
    At the AGM, Mr O'Leary declined to discuss the pilots' response.
    Ryanair has said it expects to have re-accommodated more than 95% of customers affected by cancellations by end of this week.
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  5. #5
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    BBC News 400,000 more passengers to be hit by Ryanair cancellations


    Ryanair will cancel another 18,000 flights between November and March, affecting the travel plans of another 400,000 passengers.
    It will fly 25 fewer planes to cut the risk of further flight cancellations.
    More than 30 routes will be suspended this winter, including Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast and Newcastle to Faro.
    Earlier this month the Irish airline cancelled up to 50 flights a day through to the end of October.
    It blamed the cancellations on "messing up" pilot holiday rosters.
    Ryanair said that by slowing the monthly growth rate from 9% down to 4% it would avoid roster problems.
    The decision will mean schedule changes and Ryanair says it will offer affected passengers alternative flights or full refunds.
    Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said: "From today, there will be no more rostering-related flight cancellations this winter or in summer 2018.
    "Slower growth this winter will create lots of spare aircraft and crews, which will allow us to manage the exceptional volumes of annual leave we committed to delivering in the nine months to December 2017."
    Ryanair said customers affected by the cancellations up to the end of next month have been sent emails advising them of the flight changes.
    They will also be offered vouchers of 40 euro (£35) one way or 80 euros return towards on alternative flights on top of any refunds.
    The airline also said the total cost of the flight cancellations to date would be less 25m euros (£22m) and expected the cost of the free flight vouchers would be less than £22m.
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  6. #6
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    BBC News Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulator


    Ryanair has been threatened with legal action for "persistently misleading" passengers about their rights following thousands of flight cancellations.
    The Civil Aviation Authority said it had launched "enforcement action" against Ryanair, the first step towards court action.
    Ryanair was wrong to claim it did not have to re-route passenger on rival airlines, it said.
    The action comes after Ryanair cancelled a further 18,000 flights.
    Ryanair cancels another 18,000 flights
    Ryanair: the 34 routes being suspended
    The fresh round of flight cancellations will be between November and March and affect the travel plans of a further 400,000 customers.
    A total of 34 routes will be suspended this winter, including Stansted to Edinburgh and Glasgow, Gatwick to Belfast and Newcastle to Faro.
    Earlier this month, the airline cancelled up to 50 flights a day through to the end of October, also affecting 400,000 passengers.
    The regulator said that on both occasions Ryanair had failed to provide customers with "necessary and accurate" information on their rights.
    The CAA said information provided on Ryanair's website failed to make it clear that the airline was obliged to refund all expenses incurred as a result of the flight cancellation.
    Those expenses included meals, hotels, as well as transfer costs to re-route passengers on other airlines when there was no suitable alternative, the CAA said.
    The aviation authority said it already written to Ryanair asking it to make a public statement to ensure customers were not misled after the first wave of flight cancellations.
    But it said the airline had so far not complied with its request.
    'Crystal clear'

    "There are clear laws in place, which are intended to assist passengers in the event of a cancellation, helping minimise both the frustration and inconvenience caused by circumstances completely out of their control."
    "We have made this crystal clear to Ryanair," said CAA chief executive Andrew Haines.
    Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said it was "in correspondence with the CAA and have requested an early meeting to address their concerns."
    The airline has said that passengers affected by the move will be offered alternative flights or full refunds and had been emailed about advising them of flight changes occurring until the end of October.
    They will also be offered vouchers of 40 euros (£35) one way, or 80 euros return, towards alternative flights on top of any refund.
    Ryanair has blamed the series of flight cancellations on "messing up" pilot holiday rosters.

    Analysis: By Richard Westcott, Transport Correspondent

    This is the regulator firing a shot across the bows of Ryanair.
    It doesn't feel that the airline is doing enough to tell people about their rights under EU law if their flight has been cancelled.
    They could be entitled to money and a flight back with another airline if Ryanair can't help them get home in reasonable time.
    The CAA will take views for the next seven days before deciding whether to press ahead with action.
    It could end up in court, with Ryanair facing a fine, but what normally happens is the airline makes some changes and the CAA backs off.

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  7. #7
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    Default Re: Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulator

    Whenever I have flown with these set of coonts I have had nothing but trouble.
    I really hope they get a large fine for what they are doing to peoples happiness

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulator

    same here and it sounds like they treat their staff as shit as they treat their customers
    the guys a fucking tool
    You know he grew up as a little shitspark from the old shitflint and then he turned into a shitbonfire and driven by the winds of his monumental ignorance he turned into a raging shitfirestorm. If I get to be married to Barb I'll have total control of Sunnyvale and then I can unleash the shitnami tidal wave that will engulf Ricky and extinguish his shitflames forever. And with any luck he'll drown in the undershit of that wave. Shitwaves.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulator

    I still can't believe this outfit are still in business. And to you two above complaining about them, we're all to blame that they exist at all. Everyone wants to pay fuck all for anything these days. Yet we still expect a decent customer experience. We're our own worst enemies, if you pay fuck all for something expect it to be shite. Then you won't be disappointed.

    2 Thanks given to CzarJunkie

    Over Carl (28th September 2017),  stevo25 (6th October 2017)  


  10. #10
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    Default Re: Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulator

    Quote Originally Posted by CzarJunkie View Post
    I still can't believe this outfit are still in business. And to you two above complaining about them, we're all to blame that they exist at all. Everyone wants to pay fuck all for anything these days. Yet we still expect a decent customer experience. We're our own worst enemies, if you pay fuck all for something expect it to be shite. Then you won't be disappointed.
    Couldn't agree more, we are all to blame, but putting that aside, the guy is still a fucking cunt and would still be a cunt even if he had decided to work at McDonalds
    You know he grew up as a little shitspark from the old shitflint and then he turned into a shitbonfire and driven by the winds of his monumental ignorance he turned into a raging shitfirestorm. If I get to be married to Barb I'll have total control of Sunnyvale and then I can unleash the shitnami tidal wave that will engulf Ricky and extinguish his shitflames forever. And with any luck he'll drown in the undershit of that wave. Shitwaves.

  11. #11
    VIP Member CzarJunkie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ryanair threatened with legal action by UK regulator

    Quote Originally Posted by Mystical_2K View Post
    Couldn't agree more, we are all to blame, but putting that aside, the guy is still a fucking cunt and would still be a cunt even if he had decided to work at McDonalds
    Agreed. But we give him life. It's about time we started paying more for goods and then we wouldn't have the Ryanair's of this world. We'd also have more competition and as a result a much better quality of product at a reasonable price. We're quickly approaching a world where competition doesn't exist.

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  12. #12
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    BBC News Ryanair given deadline to obey compensation rules


    Ryanair has been told to correct its compensation policy for hundreds of thousands of passengers whose flights have been cancelled, by 5pm on Friday.
    The UK's Civil Aviation Authority says the airline must stop misleading passengers about the option to be re-routed with another airline.
    The regulator has ordered the budget airline to say publicly how it will re-route those passengers.
    Ryanair must also say how it will reimburse their out-of-pocket expenses.
    Regulator 'fury' over Ryanair law breach
    Ryanair: the 34 routes being suspended
    Ryanair cancellations: What are my rights?
    In addition, the beleaguered airline must promise to help any of the more than 700,000 passengers whose flights have been cancelled in the past two weeks, but who may have chosen an unsuitable option as a result of being misled by Ryanair, the regulator said.
    The airline cancelled the flights from now until next March in two tranches saying it had bungled the reorganisation of its pilots' leave arrangements.
    On Wednesday, the CAA said that if the airline did not fully comply with European Union rules on providing compensation for cancelled flights then it would take the airline to court, with the possibility of an unlimited fine.
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  13. #13
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    BBC News Ryanair boss offers pilots better pay and conditions to stay


    Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has written to the airline's pilots to offer them better pay and conditions.
    The improved conditions came after the airline was forced to cancel thousands of flights in recent weeks.
    In a letter to pilots, Mr O'Leary also apologised for changes that caused disruptions to their rotas and urges them not to leave the airline.
    His apology came after he accused the pilots of being "full of their own self-importance".
    But in the letter seen by the Irish Independent newspaper, he urges pilots to stay with Ryanair "for a brighter future".
    Ryanair has been in crisis after the rota changes - brought about to comply with new aviation rules - led to a shortage of pilots because the airline failed to plan for enough leave.
    Flight disruptions

    Ryanair announced its first wave of 2,100 cancellations in the middle of September, after it rearranged pilots' rosters to comply with new aviation rules requiring a change in how their flying hours are logged.
    Towards the end of September it announced 18,000 further flights would be cancelled over the winter season. These moves affect more than 700,000 passengers.
    The airline blamed the flight fiasco on its own mistaken decision to force its pilots to take their remaining annual leave before the end of this year, rather than by the end of the financial year next March.
    That left Ryanair without enough pilots to fly all its scheduled flights in September and October.
    But passengers have complained about the short notice of the cancellations and the consumer group Which? said Ryanair's compensation information was "woefully short".
    Many of the airline's 4,200 pilots had joined unions over the past two weeks over discontent with the disruptions caused by the rota changes.
    Mr O'Leary's letter implored the pilot team not to leave the airline and offered them improved terms and working conditions.
    'Secure employer'

    The sweeteners included pay increases, loyalty bonus payments, improved rotas and better compensation for pilots forced to work away from their home base.
    Mr O'Leary stressed that Ryanair was a "very secure employer" and he emphasised that the airline's pilots "are the best in the business".
    And he asked them not to allow competitor pilots or their unions "to demean or disparage our collective success".
    The Ryanair boss also urged the airline's pilots not to join "one of these less financially secure or Brexit-challenged airlines".
    Mr O'Leary's letter asked the pilots to take note of "the recent bankruptcies of Air Berlin, Alitalia and Monarch", as well as the difficulties faced by another budget airline, Norwegian Air, which has been under pressure to boost its finances.
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