Consumer Council Says Ryanair Needs To Focus On Passengers
Tuesday 31 August 2010
The Consumer Council has demanded Ryanair refund passengers due to fly on cancelled services after 30 October 2010 as quickly and simply as possible. The comments came after today’s announcement by Ryanair that it is to withdraw its London, Stansted, Liverpool, Glasgow Prestwick, East Midlands and Bristol services from George Best Belfast City Airport (GBBCA) after 30 October 2010.
Ryan Simpson, Interim Head of Transport at the Consumer Council said: “Today’s announcement by Ryanair that it is to pull the five routes it operates from GBBCA from 30 October 2010 will come as a huge disappointment to those passengers who have booked to travel after this date. The Consumer Council has started to receive calls from concerned passengers this afternoon (31 August 2010). Ryanair’s job is to act with fairness and redress this situation as quickly as possible for disappointed passengers. Passengers should be allocated a full refund within seven days and information about rebooking should be clear and concise such as, rebooking a flight for an earlier date or booking an alternative flight from City of Derry Airport to Liverpool, Glasgow or London.
“The Consumer Council has this afternoon received assurances from Ryanair that affected passengers will be receiving an email advising them how to obtain a refund for affected flights. This refund will includeall taxes, additional charges and booking fees. Passengers may also contact Ryanair directly, from the UK on 0871 246 0000 and from Republic of Ireland, 081 830 3030. Passengers can then seek a refund via their booking confirmation e-mail and this refund will be received with within seven days. Ryanair has stated that passengers who have not responded within 21 days will receive an automatic refund after this time. The Consumer Council will be keeping a watch over the next few weeks on how Ryanair is treating those passengers due to fly out after 30 October 2010. If you are having trouble contacting Ryanair, in gaining a refund or want to know your rights and responsibilities about getting a refund, call our Consumer Support team on 0800 121 6022 or e-mail: complaints@consumercouncil.org.uk. You can also contact us via Facebook (The Consumer Council Northern Ireland) and Twitter (ConsumerCouncil).
“The Consumer Council also published a ‘Plane Facts’ guide in June, which aims to equip travellers with information about their rights and responsibilities. We have also produced ‘Access to Air Travel’, a guide for passengers with a disability or reduced mobility. To get your free copy of Plane Facts or Access to Air Travel, please contact 0800 121 6022 or e-mail us: info@consumercouncil.org.uk “
- Consumer Council media contact: Grainne Duffy, telephone 028 9067 4813 or e-mail, gduffy@consumercouncil.org.uk
- The Consumer Council is an independent consumer organisation, working to bring about change to benefit Northern Ireland’s consumers. The Council campaigns for high standards of service and protection and a fair deal for all. It also carries out research, gives advice and publishes reports and other publications. It deals with individual complaints about buses, trains, planes, ferries, natural gas, electricity, coal and water.
- For more information, visit our website at www.consumercouncil.org.uk
