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Ryanair warning over Spanish boarding cards
18.01.2011
Stephen McNamara
Ryanair has warned it could stop printing boarding cards completely if a ruling by the Barcelona Commercial Court is upheld.
The controversial budget airline has instructed its Spanish lawyers to appeal the court’s decision, which found that Ryanair’s €40 boarding card re-issue fee is unlawful.
The airline said it would consider not printing boarding cards for passengers who arrive at the airport without them if the decision is not overturned. It said it was under no obligation to provide customers with replacement boarding cards. In such a scenario, the customer would not be able to fly.
The company said the Spanish court has no right to interfere with a contract agreed between Ryanair and its passengers.
In a statement this morning, the firm said, “Should this ruling not be reversed on appeal, then Ryanair will dispense with the boarding card reissue fee altogether, and passengers who arrive at the airport without the agreed pre-printed boarding card will not be able to pass through security or board their aircraft.”
Spokesperson Stephen McNamara explained that without such low-cost procedures, Ryanair would have to re-employ numerous handling agents at all airports to issue boarding cards, pushing up costs which would be passed on to passengers.
He added, “We believe that the Barcelona Commercial Court No.1 has no basis, as a matter of contract law, for its ruling last week, that there is any obligation upon Ryanair to reissue boarding passes to intending passengers who have failed to comply with their agreement to arrive at the airport with a pre-printed boarding card, except on payment of the specified reissue fee.”