Ryanair strikes 2018: August dates plus whether you can claim compensation for cancelled flights

Everything you need to know about the latest Ryanair strikes 
Georgia Chambers10 August 2018

Budget airline Ryanair has suddenly announced 250 more flight cancellations to and from Germany on Friday.

The latest strike follows a series of walkouts by Ryanair cabin crew and pilots, which has caused chaos for families taking their kids on holiday during the school break.

Here is everything you need to know about the strikes, what to do if your flight has been affected and whether you're entitled to compensation:

What are the dates of the Ryanair strikes?

The German strike will take place between 3.01 am on Friday, August 10, until 2.59 am on Saturday, August 11.

Will my flight be affected?

Only around 400 flights out of the scheduled 2,400 are due to take place on Friday, disrupting what is set to be one of the busiest days of the summer for airlines.

The union for German Ryanair pilots, Vereinigung Cockpit, posted a statement online detailing that "affected will be all flights, scheduled to depart from German airports during this time."

Only around 400 flights out of the scheduled 2,400 are due to take place on Friday
REUTERS

Around 45,000 passengers are to be given 48 hours’ notice or less to say that their flights have been cancelled.

Anyone due to travel who has not been contacted by SMS message or email should expect to travel as normal.

What are my options if my Ryanair flight is cancelled?

Travellers affected are being offered refunds on transfers to alternative flights where possible.

Passengers stuck overnight are entitled to meals and accommodation until Ryanair can get them to their chosen destination.

Can I claim compensation?

According to consumer rights watchdog Which? if your flight is delayed due to a strike, the airline is obligated to provide you with assistance, which can include food, drink and accommodation.

However, airlines are under no obligation to offer compensation because strikes are generally considered to be "extraordinary circumstances".

Writing to the Mail on Sunday, Ryanair said: "Under EU261 legislation, no compensation is due when the union is acting unreasonably and totally beyond the airline's control."

Why are Ryanair staff striking?

The German strike follows a 96 per cent majority vote by Ryanair pilots employed in Germany in favour of a walkout, announced on 30 July, in a dispute over pay conditions.

What have Ryanair said about the strikes?

Ryanair responded to the dispute claiming that their pilots in Germany "enjoy excellent working conditions. They are paid up to €190,000 [£171,000] per annum and, as well as additional benefits, they received a 20 per cent pay increase at the start of this year. Ryanair pilots earn at least 30 per cent more than Eurowings and 20 per cent more than Norwegian pilots."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in