Airport Strike - Ryan Air

[Mrsp2b33]

Went to Germany for the weekend and the flight home was cancelled. The whole airport was closed for 24 hours due to strike action by ground staff.

We phoned Ryan Air, they had no alternative they could arranged as the next flight home was in a week. Nothing from different airports in Germany or England(!)

They said for us to book an alternative (via the phone) and they would reimburse us. They refused to send this by e mail.

You can tell where this is going. £400 each later and our claim has been rejected by Ryan Air as the strike was not their fault.

It has also been rejected by AXA travel insurance as we didn't take Ryan Air's replacement flight even though they didn't offer one!

To just write it off as bad luck? I can't even get through to Ryan Air by phone and their automated text system said they won't provide any evidence that they didn't offer an alternate or what their flying pattern was in February when we flew.

Help!

Use the complaints procedure at Ryan air. All their calls are recorded so they have the evidence!! Once you’ve exhausted that complain to the civil aviation ombudsman

You have to use an Alternative Dispute Resolution provider if the airline is a member of one. Ryanair is a member of Aviation ADR.

https://www.aviationadr.org.uk/

Have all the evidence you can to hand and strap in for a long haul. It took me a year to get compensation we were entitled to and even then Ryanair only paid one claimant out of two.

Update - We got a full refund from the Alternative Dispute Resolution, highly recommend using them to settle any disputes.

Do you mean you got a full refund?

Full refund on everything, flights, alternate flights train, bus, food. Took a few months and a couple of hours on the form but very straightforward. £400 back.

Nothing from the travel insurance.

Thank you! It worked! Very grateful for your advice.

Just to second the recommendation, I used AviationADR to get £800+ from Wizz who stranded me in Vienna with no alternative way home and, like OP, refused to reimburse me. ADR was great although it did all take best part of a year.

Yes, ours took months and we had a template to use from a friend who has claimed successfully on the same flight. Her original claim took a year to process, full on.

Ryanair is an awful company. I really enjoyed reading this.www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/13/bailiffs-board-ryanair-plane-after-airline-refused-to-pay-compensation-over-delayed-flight?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other