Ryanair today (12 February) welcomed the Court of Appeal ruling upholding its policy of communicating with and paying EU261 compensation directly to consumers.
The Irish low-cost carrier said it dismissed an application by claims chasing firm Bott & Co Solicitors Ltd to indemnify them for any fees that they cannot recover from customers who have been paid compensation directly by Ryanair.
Lord Justice Lewison, who along with Lord Justice Simon and Lord Justice Lindblom, presided over the Court of Appeal hearing, said the carrier’s claims procedure “enables a passenger to claim compensation with a minimum of effort”.
They said it endorsed the London High Court’s finding last year that “Ryanair has established a straightforward and easy to use process for its passengers to make their flight delay compensation claims, either online or by correspondence, without the assistance of a third party”.
Ryanair urged customers with valid EU261 compensation claims to submit their claims directly and avoid “claims chaser” firms such as Bott & Co, Fairplane, Hayward Baker, Sky Legal and Flightright, who it said can deduct over 40 per cent of a €250 claim in fees.
The airline said customers with valid claims who claim directly from Ryanair will receive all of their EU261 compensation entitlement without the deduction of these excessive “claims chaser” fees.
Last year, Ryanair established a dedicated claims team to process all valid claims within an industry-leading period of 10 working days.
