Ryanair Schedule Change...

[fatherted]

Good luck to everybody trying to get monies from Ryanair. I have just received the following email from them:-

 

Your request (1923276) has been updated. To add additional comments, reply to this email.
R. Molnar (Ryanair)
Apr 16, 10:27 IST
Dear Mr ****,

I refer to your recent correspondence dated 27/03/2020.

I regret the cancellation of your flight FR 3806 from Fuerteventura - FUE to Manchester - MAN on the 31/03/2020, which was due to the global impact of COVID-19.

As this cancellation was unexpected we wish to inform you that no compensation is due under EU261/2004 as this was caused due to extraordinary circumstances beyond Ryanair's control.

We would like to inform that your refund request has been received and will be processed in due course. Please be advised that we are currently working on a backlog due to COVID-19. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.

Along with the notice of your right under EU261, you were informed that you should contact us first and give us the chance to re-route you on a suitable Ryanair flight. If this was not possible, you would be allowed re-route to an alternative carrier and we would pay the difference in fare.

As you have not given us the opportunity to re-route you, we regret to advise that you are not entitled to any expenses.

If you remain dissatisfied with the final decision made from our customer services team, you may contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and their Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) Please follow the link: https://www.caa.co.uk/Passengers/Resolving-travel-problems/How-the-CAA-can-help/How-to-make-a-complaint/.

I trust that the above clarifies the situation.
Yours sincerely,
R. Molnar

trigger_logic_for_ryanair

 

 

Ryanair Holdings plc (Company No. 249885) / Ryanair D.A.C. (Company No. 104547).
Registered in the Republic of Ireland. With registered address Airside Business Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

 

[Ducks]

Good luck to everybody trying to get monies from Ryanair. 

How frustrating. Unfortunately, I think their claims might be correct. Supposedly there is no compensation for extraordinary circumstances  (though whether or not pre-lockdown cancellations count might be challenged in court later, who knows). As for the rest, official EU website provides the following on the EU261 rights:

If your flight is cancelled you have the right to reimbursement, re-routing or return, as well as the right to assistance and a right to compensation. Compensation is due if you were informed less than 14 days prior to the scheduled departure date. The airline has the obligation to prove if and when you were personally informed that the flight was cancelled. 

However, compensation is not due if the carrier can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. 

The airline must offer you, on a one off basis, a choice between:

1. the reimbursement of your ticket and, if you have a connecting flight, a return flight to the airport of departure at the earliest opportunity
   
   
2. re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or,
   
   
3. re-routing at a later date at your convenience under comparable transport conditions, subject to the availability of seats.
   

As soon as you have chosen one of these three options, you no longer have rights in relation to the other two options. However, the airline may still have to provide compensation depending on the distance of your flight and the length of the delay past your original planned arrival time.

• If the airline does not comply with its obligation to offer re-routing or return under comparable transport conditions at the earliest opportunity, it has to reimburse your flight costs.
  
  
• If the airline does not offer you the choice between reimbursement and re-routing but decides unilaterally to reimburse your original ticket, you are entitled to an additional reimbursement of the price difference with the new ticket (under comparable transport conditions).
  

So it looks like the airlines have the right to only offer you re-routing and that's sufficient? So in the middle of a pandemic that they suggest qualify as extraordinary circumstances, they can see fit to bounce you around half of heavily infected Europe before getting home if they like? Am I reading this wrong? I hope I am, because otherwise it is ridiculous, but it looks like the law is on their side. Very sorry for anyone trying to get compensation for their disruption with everything going on.

[Spitfire58]

I think this only applies if you are looking for compensation, in excess of your refund of flight costs. I got the email from them in the last day or two offering either full refund or re booking. They said Money would be returned to the method of payment in 20 days so no quibble from them there. Ryanair by the way 😁

[fatherted]

One of the major sticking points is the fact that it was near impossible to contact Ryanair to sort out any alternate means with their approval. As some people have stated on other forums/social media sites at times Ryanair had no staff at the airport to advise the best way forward. My wife managed to get on a flight to Liverpool (14/03) and due to the delay of 4hr 18 mins the cabin crew were actually telling passengers that they would be entitled to €400 pp compensation. Needless to say Fr are hiding behind "Extraordinary Circumstances". All in all I think I didn't do too bad with it costing me an extra £345 to get me home to Man via Belfast.

[Ducks]

I'm aware of that, Spitfire, but if people had to book alternative flights home at far greater expense and still haven't gotten their refunds from Ryanair, they're out two sets of payments for a considerable period of time, as well as ultimately having to finance the difference between the ticket prices. 

Ryanair really should be offering the people who had to book an alternative flight at two or three times the price of their original ticket that price difference also. In the majority of cases, it was their choice to cancel the flight, as no governments were preventing them from flying and other operators made efforts to get their customers home. Legally, they may be in the clear, but ethically it's very dodgy to not at least compensate people so they're not out of pocket for Ryanair's choices.

However, Ryanair has always been a "bare bones" airline and it would seem the law allows them to do what they're doing. I guess this should be a lesson to us all to be aware of the limits of our rights, and expect to get literally nothing beyond what they are legally mandated to provide. 

I will continue to use them (it would be a lie to say I won't), but I will definitely not not to trust them to take care of their customers in the event of trouble.

[fatherted]

Agree 100% Ducks. I'd already booked my Jan 2021 flights when all this pandemic flared up. Despite how an awful lot of people have been let down by Fr during this sad time and vowing to not use them in the future we'll just have to wait and see when the time comes.

[Spitfire58]

Agree as well. I wasn’t disputing anything, just saying as far as direct refunds for cancelled flights go they seem to be sticking to the rules. I think they could have done a lot better but then also, I don’t think any of the other budget airlines were necessarily any better. Heard a lot of disturbing things from a few weeks ago of people scrambling around with multiple bookings just trying to get a flight

[beachlife]

Was wondering if anyone has actually had refunds from Ryanair since they cancelled flights due to Covid19? I know several people including myself who have asked for refunds, but just get the stock answer of we are very busy, with staff shortages & not to contact them etc. I would have thought that some of the first flights by now have had enough time for them to have had refunds but I suppose this is Ryanair we are dealing with. O`Leary has in the past said how cash rich RA is compared to the other airlines so there shouldn`t be a problem paying out  refunds.

[Jason W]

No - flight due out end of March refund applied for 25th March. Told 7 working days then later amended to 20 working days. Tried to contact them since for a voucher as want to book December but gave up. Might book easy jet instead.

[Perrypower1]

I have been waiting the Same length of time for a Ryanair refund and a Jet2 refund.  Also for parking refund from East Midlands.  I opted for a voucher on car rental as you get a 25% bonus if you take the two year voucher rather than cash.  

Ryanair has communicated better than Jet2 and said refund was processed on Thursday and I should see it right away but nothing yet.  I am a patient person and other than a short form to say I wanted refund from all Of them I have left them to it.