Ryanair suing 'unruly' passenger for £12,500 after 'inexcusable' behaviour
Ryanair is suing an "unruly" passenger whom it says disrupted a flight to Lanzarote. Ryanair is seeking €15,000 in damages over ‘inexcusable’ behaviour it says forced plane to divert to Portugal from the Canary Islands in the European Union.
The airline said on Wednesday it had filed proceedings in Dublin’s circuit court against the passenger, whose behaviour on the flight last April it described as “inexcusable” and “completely unacceptable.” A Ryanair 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.
"Yet this was regrettably the case for passengers on this flight from Dublin to Lanzarote last April, which was forced to divert to Porto as a result of an individual passenger’s disruptive behaviour, causing €15,000 (£12,500) in overnight accommodation, passenger expenses, and landing costs. We have now filed civil proceedings to recover these costs from this passenger.
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This demonstrates just one of the many consequences that passengers who disrupt flights will face as part of Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy, and we hope this action will deter further disruptive behaviour on flights so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment.”
The airline said the passenger’s behaviour forced the flight in question to divert to Porto, where it was delayed overnight, and caused 160 passengers to be affected. It said: "Ryanair is committed to ensuring that all passengers and crew travel in a safe and respectful environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers.
"Ryanair has a strict zero tolerance policy towards passenger misconduct and will continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behaviour on aircraft for the benefit of the vast majority of passengers who do not disrupt flights."