Ryanair
has announced that it has initiated court processes against a passenger who forced a flight to divert on April 9, 2024, which was subsequently delayed overnight, causing 160 passengers to miss out on a part of their holidays.
Suing for over $15,000
In a statement on January 8, Ryanair disclosed that it has filed legal proceedings in the Irish Circuit Court, claiming over €15,000 ($15,438) in damages against a customer who forced flight FR7124 from Dublin Airport
(DUB) to Lanzarote Airport (ACE) to divert to Porto Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) in April 2024.
“This passenger’s inexcusable behaviour forced this flight to divert to Porto where it was delayed overnight, causing 160 passengers to face unnecessary disruption as well as losing a full day of their holiday.”
Photo: J-project | Shutterstock
The Ireland-based low-cost carrier added that it was unacceptable that travelers who work hard to enjoy a holiday with family and/or friends were robbed of the pleasure due to a single individual’s actions.
“Ryanair is committed to ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers.”
The airline added that it has a strict, zero-tolerance policy toward passenger misconduct. It will continue taking decisive action to combat unruly behavior on its aircraft for the benefit of others who do not engage in disruptive behavior.
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One arrest was made, and the plane landed in Lanzarote with an hour’s delay.
Paying for the airline’s expenses
A Ryanair spokesperson reiterated that it was unacceptable that the majority of passengers have to suffer because of a single individual’s behavior, resulting in unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time.
“Yet this was regrettably the case for passengers on this flight from Dublin to Lanzarote last April, which was forced to divert to Porto as a result of an individual passenger’s disruptive behaviour, causing €15,000 in overnight accommodation, passenger expenses, and landing costs. We have now filed civil proceedings to recover these costs from this passenger.”
Photo: Ryanair
The case showed just one of the many consequences that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of the airline’s policies, the spokesperson added. The Irish carrier’s representative said that the company hoped the legal proceedings would “deter further disruptive behaviour on flights so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment.”
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Suing passengers
According to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Administration (CAA), disruptive passenger behavior was one of the main reasons for aircraft diversions, with unruly behavior potentially affecting the safety of all passengers onboard an aircraft.
“Besides safety implications, it can have serious consequences, including civil prosecution. Airlines have a right to refuse to carry passengers that they consider to be a potential risk to the safety of the aircraft, its crew, or its passengers.”
The CAA added that acts of drunkenness on an aircraft face a maximum fine of £5,000 ($6,168) and two years in prison. If an aircraft’s safety is endangered, the prison term can be as much as five years.
Furthermore, airlines can request passengers to reimburse diversion costs ranging from £10,000 ($12,338) to £80,000 ($98,708). In September 2024, an individual who forced a Jetstar flight to divert in 2023 was told to reimburse the airline AUD8630 ($5,349) and pay a fine of AUD9,000 ($5,579).
Photo: frank333 | Shutterstock
Meanwhile, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) pointed out that unruly behavior increased threefold from 2023 to 2019. This includes intoxication, aggressive or inappropriate behavior, and failure to follow the flight crew’s commands, whose primary responsibility is safety.
“All Irish airlines and airports, An Garda Síochana, the Irish Aviation Authority, AirNav Ireland, ground handlers and international aviation organisations have all come together to tackle the issue of disruptive and dangerous behaviour, which affects passengers and staff almost every day of the year.”
In June 2024, the Irish stakeholders launched the #NotOnMyFlight campaign with an action plan to tackle such cases and reduce the number of unruly passengers disrupting travel at airports and on aircraft.
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