No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. It’s not funny, either. Ryanair, known for charging for everything they possibly can, now has added a €2 (US$2.85) fee to cover the costs of canceled flight remuneration.
It might be considered a form of insurance that will pay you the costs of food and lodging should your flight be canceled. But it isn’t optional.
As reported in the U.K.Telegraph, Ryanair says this is a reaction to an unfair European regulation that requires airlines to pay the costs of food and accommodation when flights are canceled.
The carrier says they want an exemption when circumstances are beyond their control, and since the EU refuses such an exemption, they need to add a surcharge to all tickets to cover their potential costs.
“It is clearly unfair that airlines are obliged to provide meals and accommodation for passengers simply because governments close their airspace, or air traffic controllers walk off the job, or incompetent airports fail to clear their runways of snow,” said a Ryanair spokesman.
U.S travelers, who are used to airlines washing their hands of responsbility for most delays, may be surprised to learn that European rules mandate otherwise.
In the U.S., an airline is theoretically responsible for only the delays they can control, such as a luggage problem, or something mechanical or a crew times out. Which in my experience means a lot of delays blamed on weather, no matter what other factors are at work. Even when it is the airline’s fault, there’s often a lot of variation in what passengers are offered.
For now, there may not be a lot of necessity to introduce a fee to cover airline expenses for cancellations. On the other hand, considering that most domestic carriers have never met a fee they didn’t like, it’s hard not to imagine at least one of them being tempted to try it.
And on a positive note, if U.S. carriers had a surcharge designed especially for passenger compensation, maybe they would feel just a little more compelled to actually use the money for those passengers’ benefit?
Perhaps, a trip cancellation fee might become an optional fee here in the U.S. like the collision damage waiver when cars are rented? Meals, transportation to hotel and rooms would be paid no matter the reason for the delay, as long as it wasn’t the passenger’s fault.
What do you think? Would you pay an extra $3-$5 for a form of trip-cancellation insurance sold each time an airline ticket is purchased?
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
