Ryanair mailed nearly 200 unsigned compensation checks to passengers

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Kim

• Dublin-based airline Ryanair
  issued an apology after mistakenly sending unsigned
  compensation checks to nearly 200 passengers. 
• These passengers were owed money by the airline for
  previous flight cancellations and delays. 
• Ryanair said in a statement to Business Insider, “We
  apologise sincerely for this inconvenience which arose out of
  our desire to issue these compensation cheques quickly to our
  customers.”
• European
  Union flight regulations require compensation paid to
  passengers if their flights are severely delayed or
  canceled. 

  ---

Ryanair issued an apology after the European airline mistakenly
sent unsigned compensation checks to nearly 200 passengers who
were owed money for previous flight cancellations and
delays. 

In a statement to Business Insider, Ryanair Head of
Communications Robin Kiely said, “Due to an admin error, a
tiny number of cheques (less than 190 out of over 20,000
compensation cheques in July) were posted without a required
signatory. These cheques were re-issued last week and we
apologise sincerely for this inconvenience which arose out of our
desire to issue these compensation cheques quickly to our
customers.” 

Ryanair, who is Europe’s largest
low-cost carrier, has been besieged by cancellations and
delays this year. According to the
BBC, more than one million Ryanair passengers in Europe
have had their flights delayed or canceled since April, citing
the airline’s own figures.

The BBC also reports a pilots’ walkout on August 10 led to nearly
400 flights being canceled. The Dublin-based carrier had
previously been
in a union dispute with striking pilots over conditions, base
transfers, and annual leave. An agreement between the airline and
its pilots was struck on
Thursday after a 22-hour bargaining session. 

This dysfunction has added up in costs for the airline, as
Ryanair is required by law to financially compensate each
passenger per delay or cancelation. 

Under
European Union regulation 261/2004, airlines are
required to compensate passengers for up to €600 if
their flights are significantly delayed. Passengers are eligible
for a full refund if the flight is canceled.  

The Telegraph
reports that a strike by Ryanair pilots in July saw over 30
flights canceled, affecting the travel of up to 5,000 passengers.
This set of a controversy between Ryanair and its passengers when
the airline refused to pay compensation checks, citing the
European Union legislation absolves the airline from paying
compensation in the event of a strike. 

The Telegraph
reports the airline told
the BBC: “Ryanair complies fully with EU261
legislation, under which no compensation is payable to customers
when the (strike) delay/cancellation is beyond the airline’s
control.

As for the issue of the unsigned checks this month, Ryanair
told the British consumer association
Which? that the checks were reissued on August
15. 

Some took to social media to point out Ryanair’s inability to
hold up their end of the bargain, mixing gallows humor with basic
frustration.