Ryanair, the world’s leading international scheduled airline, estimates that around 400,000 passengers will see their flights cancelled over the next six weeks to 28 October – equal to ’40 to 50 daily flights’ that the low-cost carrier will either  reschedule, or not operate.

 

This is expected to cost the airline millions of euros in compensation after it finally bowed to pressure yesterday to publish a full list of its planned cancellations. This followed an avalanche of complaints from ‘passengers’ that they were being left in the dark over which flights would operate and if so, when.

 

[The full list of cancellations and details related to changes and compensation can be found by clicking here: https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/useful-info/help-centre/travel-updates/flight-cancellations7]

 

RYANAIR ADMITS BAD PLANNING…

Ryanair admitted yesterday that it had ‘messed up’ when it comes to pilot holiday planning through September and October, resulting in a major backlog of holiday entitlements for these vital employees. The airline says the situation should ease as its schedules move into the post-vacation November and beyond period.

 

However, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary says all customers are now being contacted to offer them alternative Ryanair flights, or compensation.

 

According to the cancellations now released by Ryanair for the full period, the worst affected UK airport is London Stansted, while several major EU country city airports, including Barcelona, Brussels and Rome will also be impacted.

 

 

“THIS IS A MESS OF OUR OWN MAKING. I APOLOGISE SINCERELY TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS FOR ANY WORRY OR CONCERN THIS HAS CAUSED THEM OVER THE PAST WEEKEND.” MICHAEL O’LEARY.

 

Meanwhile, Ryanair has confirmed that it has allocated cancellations where possible to its bigger-base airports and routes where it operates multiple daily frequencies. It says this should enable it to offer more ‘disrupted customers’ the maximum number of alternative flights and routes.

 

O’LEARY INSISTS THAT RYANAIR IS ‘NOT SHORT OF PILOTS’

As stated above, the full list of all flight cancellations can be found on the Ryanair.com website, along with details of alternative flights, refunds and details of all customer’s EU261 compensation entitlements where applicable.

 

Apologising for the ‘mess’ Ryanair’s O’Leary said: “While over 98% of our customers will not be affected by these cancellations over the next six weeks, we apologise unreservedly to those customers whose travel will be disrupted [around 400,000-Ed], and assure them that we have done our utmost to try to ensure that we can re-accommodate most of them on alternative flights on the same or next day.”

 

 

O’Leary also moved swiftly to dismiss industry rumours that the airline is short of pilots because several have joined other airlines – in particular Norwegian.

 

“Ryanair is not short of pilots – we were able to fully crew our peak summer schedule in June, July and August – but we have messed up the allocation of annual leave to pilots in September and October, because we are trying to allocate a full year’s leave into a 9-month period from April to December.

 

“This issue will not recur in 2018, as Ryanair goes back onto a 12-month calendar leave year from 1st Jan to 31st December 2018. This is a mess of our own making. I apologise sincerely to all our customers for any worry or concern this has caused them over the past weekend.”

 

RYANAIR HANDLED 12.7M PAX IN AUGUST ALONE…

Below its ‘Always Getting Better’ customer experience slogan on its website, Ryanair management says the airline is currently connected to 33 countries, with 86 bases in Europe where it operates 400 new Boeing aircraft amd 2,000 daily flights.

 

The airline handled 12.7m passengers in August (+10%) with a load factor up one per cent to 97%.