Ryanair faces enforcement action after refusing to pay strike compensation

What are the rules around strike compensation?

Under EU flight delay law, you have rights if your flight is cancelled or delayed. For these rules to apply, the flight must have left from an EU airport, or you must have arrived at an EU airport on an EU airline.

Other criteria apply, including that you must have arrived at least three hours late and that it must be the airline's fault, ie, not an "extraordinary circumstance."

In April, the European Court of Justice said that airlines should pay out even for 'wildcat' strikes – where the strike hasn't been officially organised by a trade union – as they are not an extraordinary circumstance.

Leading flight delay solicitors Bott & Co say this is the only binding case on UK courts regarding strike action. It believes the ruling on wildcat strikes also applies to planned strikes, which caused the Ryanair disruption. In October, it issued a test case in an English court to seek confirmation of this.

In August, AviationADR confirmed that it had found in favour of passengers over Ryanair strikes, as it had seen no evidence that they should be considered extraordinary circumstances. We've asked Ryanair if it has paid any compensation following these rulings and will update when we know more.

It's worth noting that a strike by airport staff is not considered the airline's fault and so it would not have to pay compensation. See our Flight Delays guide for more info.

What if I need to make a claim against Ryanair?

If you think you're owed compensation but haven't yet put in a claim, you should still contact Ryanair directly – don't let this row put you off.

See our Flight Delays guide for more information, including our free tool to help you complain.

If you're not satisfied with the response, or you don't hear back after eight weeks, you can escalate the case to the CAA.