Ryanair cancels 150 German flights amid pilot dispute over pay and working conditions
Ryanair has cancelled nearly half of its flights to and from Germany today after the VC pilot union called a surprise strike over pay and working conditions.
Ryanair said the strike, called with 24 hours' notice, was "unnecessary" and has had to cancel 150 of its 400 flights to and from the region. All affected customers were emailed this morning and offered either a refund, a free transfer on to the next available flight or other re-route options.
Flight Update Sep 12th:
All 30 of Ryanair’s morning flights from Germany departed as scheduled. We apologise to customers on the 150 of 400 German flights which were cancelled, all of whom have already been refunded or re-accommodated onto another Ryanair flight.
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) September 12, 2018
Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said: "We condemn the short notice decision of the VC to call a strike on Wednesday 12 when Ryanair has already agreed to independent mediation/arbitration in Germany, has agreed to negotiate local contracts and has agreed to increase basic pay for German pilots.
Read more: Ryanair pilots vote to back deal over working conditions
"To minimise customer disruption, Ryanair have been forced to cancel 150 flights of 400 flights to/from Germany tomorrow, Wednesday 12 September and all affected customers have been notified this morning and informed of their options. We apologise sincerely to our customers for this unnecessary strike and regrettable disruptions which Ryanair has done everything in its power to avoid.”
Ryanair has endured a turbulent summer this year, with it cancelling hundreds of fights over its dispute with pilots in several countries.
It is also facing a shareholder revolt to replace its non-executive chairman David Bonderman who is perceived as being too close to boss Michael O'Leary. Earlier this week it announced it had banned journalists from attending its AGM next week, saying this was to allow shareholders to “discuss matters freely with the board without these discussions being distorted for PR purposes”.
The managing director of shareholder advisory firm PIRC Alan MacDougall told the Irish Independent that the decision to ban media from the AGM "further weakens the company's standing in the eyes of the public".
Read more: Ryanair bans journalists from AGM