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Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary, has risked the wrath of passengers and a possible legal challenge by refusing to pay the hotel and food bills of passengers stranded by the airspace closure.
‘There's no legislation that says any airline getting a fare of €30 should be reimbursing passengers many thousands,’ he said, adding that Ryanair would reimburse travellers the original price of their air fare and no more.
Other airlines have said that the EU regulation was intended to apply when airlines had individual delays or cancelled flights and not to a shutdown of the airways system imposed by governmental rulings and without any limitation of time.
Ryanair’s stand will be unpopular with those who at their own cost have made their own way home across Europe. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem right that, as O’Leary says, someone paying just €30 for a fare would qualify for food and board without limit.
Perhaps the answer is for the government to set up a fund to deal with situations like the one caused by the Icelandic volcano. However, it will be a brave man in the future who closes our airspace once again.
[Later in the day, O'Leary said that Ryanair would conform to the legislation and pay 'reasonable' expenses incurred.]
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Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary, has risked the wrath of passengers and a possible legal challenge by refusing to pay the hotel and food bills of passengers stranded by the airspace closure.
‘There's no legislation that says any airline getting a fare of €30 should be reimbursing passengers many thousands,’ he said, adding that Ryanair would reimburse travellers the original price of their air fare and no more.
Other airlines have said that the EU regulation was intended to apply when airlines had individual delays or cancelled flights and not to a shutdown of the airways system imposed by governmental rulings and without any limitation of time.
Ryanair’s stand will be unpopular with those who at their own cost have made their own way home across Europe. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem right that, as O’Leary says, someone paying just €30 for a fare would qualify for food and board without limit.
Perhaps the answer is for the government to set up a fund to deal with situations like the one caused by the Icelandic volcano. However, it will be a brave man in the future who closes our airspace once again.
[Later in the day, O'Leary said that Ryanair would conform to the legislation and pay 'reasonable' expenses incurred.]
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