Ryanair sues a ‘disruptive passenger’ for causing a flight to be diverted | Money news

Ryanair has said it is taking legal action against a disruptive passenger.

In what it described as a “crackdown on serious misconduct”, the airline said it is seeking 15,000 euros (£12,500) in damages from a passenger in Ireland whose behavior forced a Lanzarote-bound plane to diverted to Porto, in Portugal, last year.

Ryanair claims the diverted flight had to be delayed overnight and caused 160 passengers to “face unnecessary disruption and lose a full day of their holiday”.

The airline called the passenger’s behavior “inexcusable” and “completely unacceptable.”

He said he calculated the sum of 15,000 euros from the cost of accommodation, passenger expenses and landing costs.

It is the first time Ryanair has brought a civil case against a disruptive passenger in Ireland, but the airline warned it will “continue to take decisive action to combat unruly passenger behavior on planes”.

“It is unacceptable that passengers, many of whom are traveling with family or friends to enjoy a relaxing summer holiday, suffer unnecessary disruption and reduced holiday time as a result of a passenger’s unruly behaviour,” a spokesperson said.

“This demonstrates just one of the many consequences that passengers who disrupt flights as part of Ryanair’s zero tolerance policy will face, and we hope that this action will deter further disruptive behavior on flights so that passengers and crew can travel in a comfortable and respectful environment.”

In September last yearMichael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, told Sky News he is open to introducing a two-drink limit on planes, if the same rule applies to airport bars.

He said that one of the destinations most affected by the passenger disorder was Ibiza.

“The real problem is how to prevent these people from getting drunk at airports, especially because, like this summer, we’ve had a huge increase in delays at air traffic control,” O’Leary said.

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“They are coming on board with too much alcohol in their system. If we identify them as drunk on board, we don’t serve them alcohol. But that doesn’t solve the problem.”

Airline Jet2.com said it has already taken civil action against disruptive passengers.

While understandable, easyJet’s policy is to pursue criminal proceedings and ban disruptive passengers from traveling on future flights, rather than pursuing civil proceedings.