‘We apologise’: Legal threats force Ryanair to clarify customers’ rights

Following the threat of legal action from the Civil Aviation Authority, Ryanair have committed themselves to emailing the passengers affected by their recent route cancellations.

Over the course of recent days, the CAA have accused Ryanair of misleading their customers by failing to properly highlight their legal rights – a concern which wasn't adequately addressed by the airline.

However, following the threat of legal action and under considerable media scrutiny, the airline have contacted affected passengers, who number in their hundreds of thousands, in order to clarify their legal rights amid the recent chaos.

Passengers have been told they can receive a refund or be transferred on to other flights or travel by trains, buses or car hire – progress in a situation which has been the focus of the CAA’s attention since September 18.

Commenting on developments, Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's chief marketing office, has assured the public the airline are endeavouring to rectify the matter with immediate urgency.

"We apologise again sincerely for the disruption and inconvenience our rostering failure has caused some of our customers," he said. 

"We have taken on extra customer service staff and are moving now to process and expedite all EU261 claims from affected customers," he continued. "We are committed to processing all such claims within 21 days of receipt and hope to have all such claims."

More than 400,000 customers have been affected by the multiple flight cancellations in recents days.