Ryanair Holdings PLC (LSE:RYA) has said it will pay out compensation to consumers hit by strike action in 2018 after deciding not to appeal a court ruling made earlier this year, according to the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
In January, following action by the CAA against Ryanair, the Court of Appeal decided that strike action by airline staff was not an 'extraordinary circumstance'.
Ryanair had secured permission to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court but said it has decided not to pursue this.
In a statement Paul Smith, consumer director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "The Civil Aviation Authority undertook enforcement action against Ryanair due to the belief that strike action by airline staff does not constitute an 'extraordinary circumstance' and, as such, affected passengers should be entitled to compensation where this results in the delay or short notice cancellation of their flight. The judgment by the Court of Appeal supported this view.”
“Ryanair's decision to discontinue the Supreme Court appeal of the Court of Appeal judgment means that affected passengers will now be able to make a claim for compensation from Ryanair if they were impacted by strike action taken by Ryanair pilots in 2018 and we would encourage all passengers on flights that were affected to claim the compensation they are entitled to," he added.
At the time of the disruption, passengers whose short-haul flights to or from UK airports were cancelled within 14 days of the departure date were entitled to up to €250 of compensation based on the timings of alternative flights offered.