I know that this is an alarmist headline, but after reading the story, it raises plenty of questions about an airline’s responsibility to its passengers. Ryanair’s debacle was similar to situations I have faced here in the U.S.A. when my airline deposited me at JFK and gave me a bus ticket to Boston.
It’s happened to me more than once and I know it has happened to friends of mine. We paid for a ticket from one destination, but were deposited at another. The airlines in each case provided a van or a bus to get me to my final destination, but the hardships were extreme and the travel difficult.
In this Ryanair situation reported this week, the plane scheduled to land at Lanzarote had to land at neighboring Fuerteventura because of extreme weather.
‘Unfortunately ferries were also affected by these high winds so passengers were provided with EU261 information which outlines their entitlement to provide receipted hotel expenses to Ryanair, for refund.
‘Ryanair arranged that the ferry company would carry affected Ryanair passengers to Lanzarote free of charge when ferries recommenced the following morning.
‘Ryanair apologises to passengers for any inconvenience caused by this weather related diversion but can never put passenger convenience before passenger safety.”
The guidelines state that if flight disruption is outside the control of the airline, no monetary compensation is due.
Somewhere between the passengers’ shrill outrage at being landed on the wrong island and Ryanair’s decision about how to deal with the inclement weather there may be a happy solution. But, this kind of weather diversion is a difficult subject for both passengers and airlines.
I think this kind of situation is best handled by travel insurance. The biggest complaint from passengers according to the news reports, was that they were forced to purchase an overnight hotel room because even ferries couldn’t ply the waters between the two islands. The normal ferry journey takes between 25-40 minutes — I’ve taken the trip.
What is the responsibility of the airline in situations like this? Do you think that Ryanair should have done more than provide free ferry transport from Fuerteventura to Lanzarote? Should Delta provided me more than a van to Boston when my plane was stuck at JFK?
I guess, I think the airlines fulfilled their obligation to get me from Point A to Point B. Some problems are just beyond the abilities of airlines to control.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
