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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/07/mass-disruption-expected-after-ryanair-pilots-vote-for-strikes

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Mass disruption expected after Ryanair pilots vote for strikes Mass disruption expected after Ryanair pilots vote for strikes
(2 months later)
Holidaymakers face the prospect of mass disruption at multiple airports in August after Ryanair pilots voted for strikes that could coincide with walkouts by their counterparts at British Airways and by Heathrow ground staff.Holidaymakers face the prospect of mass disruption at multiple airports in August after Ryanair pilots voted for strikes that could coincide with walkouts by their counterparts at British Airways and by Heathrow ground staff.
The pilots’ union Balpa said “decades of Ryanair refusing to deal with unions” had led to members voting for a 48-hour strike beginning on 22 August and a 72-hour strike from 2 September.The pilots’ union Balpa said “decades of Ryanair refusing to deal with unions” had led to members voting for a 48-hour strike beginning on 22 August and a 72-hour strike from 2 September.
When an airline starts cancelling or delaying flights for more than three hours, passengers are entitled to compensation of €250-€600 (£230-£550) under European Union (EU) rules. My flight to Europe is cancelled. All I’m being offered is an alternative flight or vouchers. Is this legal?
These rules apply if your flight left from the UK, the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland, or  was with a European airline and landed in the UK, the EU, Norway or Switzerland, no matter where you were flying from. No. But that hasn’t stopped a number of airlines doing exactly that. All flights on EU carriers within, or into the EU, and all flights leaving from an EU airport, are protected by the EU’s “denied boarding” rules, which require a full refund in seven days when flights are cancelled.
The cause of the problem has to be under the airline’s control and not an ‘extraordinary circumstance’. Lack of planes/staff, flight overbooking, a strike by airline staff or an IT failure are all considered to be within the airline’s control – so compensation is payable. The problem for consumers is that enforcing these rights is proving very difficult. After initially promising to refund passengers within 20 working days, Ryanair has now said passengers should accept vouchers valid for 12 months, or wait until the Covid-19 pandemic is over for a refund.
Passengers on cancelled short-haul flights – up to 1,500km – are entitled to €250 or £230. For flights of 1,500km-3,500km, passengers are entitled to €400, and €600 for the longest flights (more than 3,500km). Refunds at British Airways are only being processed by customer services which, of course, is impossible to contact. easyJet, initially only offered refunds through customer services but now has a web portal to request refunds.
Compensation is also payable if the plane is delayed. The payments are the same but only kick in when the plane has been delayed three hours for short flights or four hours for the longer trips. The delay is calculated against the time the plane was due to arrive. Note: the EU cancellation rules do not apply to non-EU carriers where the flight started outside the EU – for example, a Korean Air flight from Seoul to London.
Passengers are also entitled to ‘assistance’ under the EU rules. Short-haul passengers should receive food and water after two hours. Mid-distance passengers get help after three hours, while long-haul passengers receive it after they have been held in the terminal for four hours. If the delay is overnight, passengers should be provided with hotel accommodation but this often does not happen. This assistance should be provided irrespective of whether the delay is the airline’s fault. In the face of a no-refund policy, what should I do?
The airlines have fought these compensation rules since they were introduced and passengers have had to go to court to get their money. The airlines frequently blame delays on events outside their control. Freak weather events or a last-minute strike by air traffic controllers are deemed to be outside their control. A lack of planes or staff is not. Taking the offer of replacement vouchers in the current climate is highly risky given the airline may not be around in six months. While some will be happy to accept vouchers, many will not. 
What will happen to the scheme for UK travellers after Brexit is not yet clear. Miles Brignall Coby Benson of the specialist flight compensation lawyers, Bott and Co, advises passengers to submit their refund request in writing, using the following text:
I understand that my flight [fight number] on [flight date] has been cancelled and I therefore request a full refund pursuant to articles 5(1)(a) and 8(1)(a) of EC Regulation No.261/2004. You are reminded that the refund must be made within seven days. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not accept a travel voucher.
If the airline does not respond or does not agree then the passenger can either issue court proceedings or use Alternative Dispute Resolution.
If your flight cost more than £100 and was booked using a credit card, you can hold the card provider jointly liable. When things calm down we suspect many passengers will be forced down this route. 
My flight operated as scheduled but I was unable to go on it. What then?
The fact that the government advised against all but essential travel means travel insurance policies should pay foreign trip cancellation claims provided you bought your policy before the pandemic was declared on 11 March. 
Miles Brignall
“We have had no formal offer from Ryanair and it is imperative that we resolve this dispute urgently to avoid strike action,” said Balpa’s general secretary, Brian Strutton.“We have had no formal offer from Ryanair and it is imperative that we resolve this dispute urgently to avoid strike action,” said Balpa’s general secretary, Brian Strutton.
“No pilot wants to spoil the public’s travel plans but at the moment it seems we have no choice.”“No pilot wants to spoil the public’s travel plans but at the moment it seems we have no choice.”
Any disruption caused by walkouts at Ryanair could coincide with parallel action by BA pilots and Heathrow ground staff, who have yet to rule out their own stoppages.Any disruption caused by walkouts at Ryanair could coincide with parallel action by BA pilots and Heathrow ground staff, who have yet to rule out their own stoppages.
Balpa is still locked in pay negotiations with BA , whose staff can strike at two weeks’ notice if they do not accept the airline’s offer.Balpa is still locked in pay negotiations with BA , whose staff can strike at two weeks’ notice if they do not accept the airline’s offer.
A 48-hour strike by more than 4,000 security guards, firefighters, engineers and passenger service workers at Heathrow was called off, after the airport made a new pay offer. But more action is scheduled for the 22 and 23 August, the same day as the Ryanair walkouts, if staff do not accept the proposals.A 48-hour strike by more than 4,000 security guards, firefighters, engineers and passenger service workers at Heathrow was called off, after the airport made a new pay offer. But more action is scheduled for the 22 and 23 August, the same day as the Ryanair walkouts, if staff do not accept the proposals.
The Guardian has approached Ryanair for comment.The Guardian has approached Ryanair for comment.
RyanairRyanair
TransportTransport
Airline industryAirline industry
Heathrow airportHeathrow airport
British AirwaysBritish Airways
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