Ryanair, threatened with the possibility of legal action, issued a statement Friday informing passengers about their rights following the cancellation of thousands of flights.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had threatened legal action against the budget airline after it scrapped 18,000 flights in a second round of cancellations but allegedly failed to inform customers of their rights regarding alternate flight options and financial compensation, The Associated Press reported.
"It appears that Ryanair has now capitulated," CAA Chief Executive Andrew Haines said, according to the AP. "We will review their position in detail and monitor this situation to ensure that passengers get what they are entitled to."
The second round of cancellations of 18,000 flights between November and March follows the cancellation of 2,100 fights through the end of October due to a shortage of pilots, the Independent reported.
A letter from Haines to Ryanair's chief legal and regulatory officer details how the airline allegedly breached consumer protection legislation.
During a press conference held on Sept. 18, Ryanair's chief executive Michael O'Lear said the airline was not obliged to reroute passengers on airlines other than Ryanair following flight cancellations, the letter said, adding that the next day the CAA wrote a letter asking the airline to correct this statement.
According to the Independent, an EU airline need not pay compensation to passengers should it cancel a flight with more than two weeks' notice. However, it is required to offer a flight on another airline or bear the cost of transfer of passengers to alternative airports, if that is the best option for the customer.
The CCA demanded Ryanair amend its previous statement but, Haines noted, the airline failed to do so.
Furthermore, Haines said that in a notification sent to up to 400,000 passengers following the second round of cancellations, Ryanair failed to advise them of their rights, the Independent reported.
"The email refers only to a reroute on a Ryanair flight and contains no information about the possibility of rerouting on another airline," Haines wrote.
"It also refers to the possibility of rerouting from different departure or destination airports but fails to inform passengers that Ryanair is obliged to bear the cost of transferring passengers to those other airports."
According to The Guardian, Ryanair said Thursday it would meet with the CAA and comply with all their requirements.
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