Ryanair has been shaking by strike after strike recently. Instead of springing into action to solve the issues raised by pilot and cabin crew unions, the airline is reacting by closing bases. Two bases in Germany will close, with their routes transferring to non-German aircraft. One base will operate on a severely reduced capacity.
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Cuts Across European Bases
The changes, called “modest winter cuts” in the company press release, means that the 4-plane Eindhoven base will be closed. Overseas aircraft will serve most of the routes. The same goes for the 2-aircraft Bremen base, with routes being served by non-German planes. Lastly, the 5-plane base at Niederrhein will go down to three, with the remaining jets to serve most of the routes.
Impact on Eindhoven, Bremen, and Niederrhein Operations
Can this be a part of earlier promises to end strikes by moving the business elsewhere, possibly Poland? Nevertheless, the airline posits that it will look after the affected crew.
How Ryanair Plans to Protect Pilots and Cabin Crew Jobs
“We will also now consult with our pilots and cabin crew at these 3 bases to minimize job losses,” writes CEO Michael O’Leary in the statement. “We expect to offer our pilots vacancies at other Ryanair bases but, as we have a large surplus of winter cabin crew, we will explore unpaid leave and other options to minimize cabin crew job losses.”
Strikes, EC261 Compensation, and Rising Operational Costs
These changes are happening in part because of strikes causing bigger expenses on EC 261/2004 compensations (since the court ruled that these strikes are covered under this law) and customer confidence is lost. Ryanair continues to call the strikes unnecessary and blames other airlines for riling up the employees.
As a reminder, a large strike on August 28 was coordinated by unions from five European countries, affecting 250 flights and around 30,000 passengers. This was just the latest of the walkouts that have been disrupting the company operations since April. Unions claim that Ryanair is slow to work with them to solve their complaints. The most commonly cited reason for strikes is the unwillingness of the airline to move from Irish contracts and labor laws to national contracts and employees being covered under local laws.
Was Your Flight Disrupted?
Turn your delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight into a compensation up to €600!
Past Precedents: Ryanair’s Response to French Court Rulings
Previously, Ryanair had closed a maintenance depot in Marseilles after a French court decision in 2011 that stated that workers in a French base should work under French law. The airline responded by transferring 200 jobs and plane maintenance facilities to Spain, Italy, and Lithuania instead. O’Leary called the decision of the French court “ill-judged”.
However, if you experience any flight disruptions – delayed, cancelled, overbooked flights or denied boarding – and you think you deserve to be compensated for your troubles, you can get compensated for up to 600 EUR. Travel can sometimes take unexpected turns not just due to strikes, but even simple mix-ups like confusing destinations, as seen in cases where a flight to Australia lands you in Austria.. Just fill in the claim form and let Skycop’s team do the rest of the work.
