Originally Posted by
MixalisK.
I wonder what compensation these people are entitled to under Regulation 261/2004.
Originally Posted by Article 5
An operating air carrier shall not be obliged to pay compensation in accordance with Article 7, if it can prove that the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
Somehow I doubt that "all reasonable measures ha[ve] been taken" if Ryanair can't be contacted until the next morning and then only offers a bus ride which takes 22 hours, although the original weather-related reason seems to have been something extraordinary.
Originally Posted by Article 9
1. Where reference is made to this Article, passengers shall be offered free of charge:
(a) meals and refreshments in a reasonable relation to the waiting time;
(b) hotel accommodation in cases
- where a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary, or
- where a stay additional to that intended by the passenger becomes necessary;
Rather than offering hotel rooms and food, it sounds as if Ryanair made themselves unreachable. Also, some of Ryanair's passengers might not have had the assets to pay for a hotel using their own money, so some of them might not have booked a hotel room for that reason. Somehow, I doubt that Ryanair can get away from the obligation to provide hotel rooms and food by confusing the passengers about what they are supposed to do. Is a cash amount due in this situation, and if so, how is the cash amount to be determined?
Originally Posted by Article 10
Upgrading and downgrading
1. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class higher than that for which the ticket was purchased, it may not request any supplementary payment.
2. If an operating air carrier places a passenger in a class lower than that for which the ticket was purchased, it shall within seven days, by the means provided for in Article 7(3), reimburse
(b) 50 % of the price of the ticket for all intra-Community flights of more than 1500 kilometres, except flights between the European territory of the Member States and the French overseas departments, and for all other flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometres, or
Is a direct flight a higher class of travel than a flight to the wrong airport followed by a 22-hour bus ride?