Ryanair had to pay out compensation following a passenger's challenge over a flight delay. A flyer triumphed in claiming £220 compensation from the airline after gathering crucial evidence of a prolonged delay, despite the carrier's initial refusal.
Helen Kirrane achieved the result with Aviation ADR following a substantial three-and-a-half-hour holdup on her Dublin to London journey last September. Initially, Ryanair ascribed the postponement to air traffic control constraints, a situation that normally exempts airlines from financial recompense obligations.
However, Kirrane told This is Money that she had jotted down timely notes of an important pilot announcement prior to departure; it disclosed that the plane was designated for Birmingham, not London, thereby refuting the argument around air traffic control culpability for the setback.
She maintained a detailed record through text messages sent to her boyfriend during the ordeal, which proved invaluable as timestamped evidence. Helen said: "The texts to my boyfriend came in handy, because I was able to pin down the exact times I had taken off and landed to tot up the delay.."
"The regulations state that for delays of more than three hours, on journeys of less than 1,500km – as mine was – you are entitled to compensation of £220. This is what I asked Aviation ADR to demand. For flights going 1,500km or further, you can claim more – up to £520 for the longest delays.", reports Birmingham Live.
She elaborated on her experience, saying: "The ADR adjudicator agreed with my doubts about the delay's cause. It turned out my flight had been delayed by three hours due to the late arrival of the aircraft from another flight. Ryanair decided to perform an aircraft change to minimise operational disruption. Only 14 minutes of the delay had been caused by air traffic control problems at London Gatwick."
She added: "The ADR asked me to upload my bank details and Ryanair now has 30 days to notify the ADR that payment of the £220 has been made."
She concluded: "If you are rejected for compensation for a delayed flight, don't give up."
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English (United States) ·