The approximately 33,000 passengers affected by the cancellation or delay of 172 Belgian Ryanair flights in the summer of 2018 will each receive a voucher worth 250 or 400 euros. They can have it paid out after a year.
There was a lawsuit about the compensation for the passengers, but Test Aankoop and Ryanair have reached an amicable settlement outside that judicial framework.
The consumer organization revealed the agreement on Thursday during an online press conference. All affected passengers will receive compensation in the form of a voucher worth between 250 and 400 euros, depending on their cancelled or delayed flight distance.
Ryanair will send all concerned passengers an email before the end of the year to request the voucher. The operation will cost Ryanair between 8 and 13 million euros if everyone does.
The voucher is valid for four years, but if it has not been used after one year, it can be exchanged for cash. In practice, this will be from mid-April 2023, explains Simon November, spokesperson for Test Aankoop.
Test Aankoop says it is pleased with the agreement. “As a result, all passengers affected by the delays and cancellations in the summer of 2018 will be compensated faster than if we had to sit through the entire legal process,” November said. He is confident that Ryanair will comply with the agreements. “The agreement has been signed and benefits both parties. It must be fulfilled.”
In July 2019, the consumer organization filed a class action against the Irish low-cost airline for refusing to reimburse injured passengers. It concerned travellers whose flights had been cancelled or delayed due to strike action by Ryanair employees at Zaventem and Charleroi airports on 25 and 26 July, 10 August and 28 September 2018.
As a result, thousands of people were unable to fly and, in some cases, had to leave their homes to extend their hotel stay or book another flight.