Delayed flight compensation

Tarabuses

Ryanair have denied my claim for compensation following a delay of 6h 48m between scheduled arrival time and actual arrival time. They do not deny the delay but say it was due to a lightning strike suffered by the operating aircraft.

Is this a valid excuse under EU261? I have seen mention online that it is not.

walterking

There were a couple of UK cases about this, but its not absolute.

One of the compensation websites says you can't

Can I get compensation if my flight is delayed due to thunderstorms?

No, if your flight is delayed or cancelled due to thunderstorms or other severe weather conditions, it is considered an extraordinary circumstance, and you are not entitled to compensation under Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004.

Tarabuses

Yes, there are contradictory advices on different websites. The UK court cases seem quite definite though.

I asked Ryanair where the strike occured and which aircraft was hit but they refused to answer.

Would anyone think the reference "a lightning strike suffered by the operating aircraft." by Ryanair implies that it was the aircraft operating our delayed flight that was hit?

goingnowhere

It really would only matter if the aircraft was struck while it was operating the flight you were travelling on. An aircraft being struck by lighting is actually quite a common occurrence.

What happened 'before' your flight is not your problem. Each flight is separate and the delay of the incoming aircraft cannot be an excuse.

LiamaDelta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120514401#Comment_120514401

How could it not be a valid reason? Each flight is not carried out by a separate aircraft so you can't reasaonably discount a delay earlier in the day, particularly when weather is one of the areas that's outside the control of the operator. It comes down to what is 'reasonable'. In this instance it might be just about acceptable that that level of delay is reasonable for the issue that occurred. Ryanair would have analysed this and understand what their obligations are.

Tarabuses

I can see by viewing the aircraft's flights for the day in question that it was not delayed before operating my flight. It was scheduled to operate my flight at a later time than originally scheduled, unless it was substituting for another aircraft that had been struck by lightning.

DOCARCH

Sitting DA at the moment and Air Canada flight to Toronto is delayed 4.5 hours due to 'pilot scheduling issues'.

Anyone know if delay due to 'pilot schedule issues means eligibility for compensation?

Delay was only flagged/notified earlier this morning.

Noxegon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121293270#Comment_121293270

You should be able to file an EU261 claim for €600.