Ryanair outlines appeal over boarding card fee decision
Ryanair announced (18-Jan-2011) it has instructed its Spanish lawyers to appeal a recent court decision in the country which ruled the airline's EUR/GBP40 charge violated international aviation law and was therefore prohibited. Ryanair stated its appeal will be based on the following: [more]
- All passengers agree at the time of booking that they will check-in online, and print off their own boarding cards at least four hours prior to the scheduled departure of their flight;
- Should a passenger arrive at the airport without their boarding card, then they are not entitled to fly, and there is no obligation on Ryanair to provide them with replacements;
- Should this ruling not be reversed on appeal, then Ryanair will cease charging reissue fees, and passengers who arrive at the airport without the agreed pre-printed boarding card will not be able to board the aircraft;
- It is not open to the court to redraft or alter the reasonable contractual terms already agreed between Ryanair and its passengers.
Ryanair: "Without these procedures, Ryanair would have to re-employ numerous handling agents at all airports to issue manual boarding cards for passengers who simply 'forgot' to bring their pre-printed boarding passes or who failed to comply with their original agreement to check-in online. Ryanair cannot understand how the Barcelona Commercial Court can reinterpret a contractual agreement freely entered into between 73 million passengers and Ryanair, after the event." Stephen McNamara, spokesman. Source: Ryanair, 18-Jan-2011.