Alex Trelinski
BUDGET airline Ryanair says it will take ‘disruptive’ passengers to court in a ‘major clampdown’ following an incident last year on a flight between Dublin and Lanzarote in Spain’s Canary Islands.
The operator is claiming €15,000 in damages against a passenger who forced the plane to divert to Porto.
Ryanair argues that the plane was delayed overnight and caused 160 passengers to ‘face unnecessary disruption as well as losing a full day of their holiday’.
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The carrier described the passenger’s behaviour as ‘inexcusable’ and ‘completely unacceptable’.
It calculated the €15,000 sum based on the cost of overnight accommodation, passenger expenses, and landing costs.
Ryanair said it has a strict zero-tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct, adding it ‘will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft’.
A spokesperson said: “It is unacceptable that passengers – many of whom are heading away with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday – are suffering unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of one unruly passenger’s behaviour.”
He added that the company hopes that civil proceedings in a court will deter further disruptive behaviour on flights.
