Bailiffs board Ryanair plane after airline refuses to pay delayed flight compensation
Bailiffs have boarded a Ryanair aircraft after the airline refused to pay compensation to a passenger whose flight was delayed.Austrian officials took action after the budget carrier ignored a court order to pay the unnamed woman €890 (£742) in legal costs and compensation for a delayed flight two years ago.A bailiff entered the plane, which was bound for London, as it sat on the stand at Linz airport on Monday and fixed a seizure sticker to the cabin when crew were unable to settle the debt.The label, known as a “cuckoo sticker”, gives the court legal control over the aircraft, which was allowed to continue to operate under set conditions.The court can sell the Boeing 737 at public auction if the debt is not paid by a deadline.
The dispute began in 2024 when a flight from Linz to the Spanish island of Mallorca was delayed by 13 hours.A passenger who was forced to pay for an alternative flight claimed a refund of her expenses and compensation under aviation regulations.Ryanair failed to pay up and the passenger took her case to a court, which ordered the airline to hand over the claimed sum plus interest and legal costs.When Ryanair failed to respond, the passenger asked Austrian authorities to take enforcement action.A spokesperson for Linz airport said: “We were informed that there was a pending claim against Ryanair in court and that a bailiff has been instructed by the district court of the city of Traun to carry out an official act.
We accompanied the bailiff to the aircraft, where the bailiff carried out his official duties.”The bailiff asked the crew to hand over the €890, but since Ryanair operates cashless flights they were unable to comply.so the seizure notice was placed on the cabin wall.The flight then departed for London.A lawyer acting on behalf of the passenger told media that she intended to continue enforcement action until the debt was paid.
Ryanair denied the aircraft had been seized but refused to comment on whether bailiffs had applied a seizure notice or whether the debt had since been paid.Passengers rights groups have criticised low-cost airlines for failing to compensate travellers whose flights are cancelled or delayed.Under European Commission regulations, they are entitled to €600 each if they are delayed by three hours or more.The Guardian reported this week that Ryanair had refused compensation to a passenger whose plane had been diverted, claiming he reached his destination on a phantom flight.After the Guardian got in touch, the airline refunded the cost of the flight and offered to pay hotel and transport costs.
Disputes over unpaid compensation rarely result in the seizure of an aircraft.Claimants usually give up or airlines pay out before enforcement action is taken.French authorities, however, impounded a Ryanair plane carrying 149 passengers in 2018 after a years-long battle over illegal subsidies.Ryanair then paid the outstanding €525,000 bill.
Cheltenham festival 2026: Gaelic Warrior storms to Gold Cup glory – as it happened
Time to sign off from Cheltenham for another year. I’ll leave you with Greg Wood’s report from trackside. Thanks for joining me, and enjoy your weekends.Just look at all the sport you can follow on the Guardian website this weekend. Look!So after a week of drama, controversy and strong words off the course, today felt a little more like business as usual – particularly with Mullins claiming three winners, including the Gold Cup, 24 hours after firing thinly-veiled threats at the racecourse
Gaelic Warrior routs Gold Cup field and carries Mullins into record books
A capacity crowd had squeezed into the grandstands on Friday hoping to see a football legend lift the festival’s biggest prize, but the greatest trainer in National Hunt history had other ideas. The Gold Cup was one of the last races at the meeting to elude Willie Mullins until his first win in 2019. Now he has five, joining Tom Dreaper, Arkle’s trainer, as the co-holder of the all-time record, after Gaelic Warrior’s relentless charge up the hill to an eight-length success.Paul Townend, meanwhile, is now out on his own as the only rider to win five Gold Cups, one more than Pat Taaffe, who steered Arkle to all three of his victories in the 1960s.Gaelic Warrior is a different brand of steeplechaser to Al Boum Photo and Galopin Des Champs, who both recorded a pair of victories for Mullins and Townend
Redknapp‘s Gold Cup hopes faded but the impossible dream is on to save Spurs
Harry Redknapp is the living embodiment of Spurs’ motto, Audere est Facere: To Dare Is To Do. And on the day one improbable dream ended, with his horse The Jukebox Man fading to finish eighth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the 79-year-old switched his sights towards another bold adventure: saving Tottenham from relegation.“It’s a big challenge,” said Redknapp, who managed Spurs between 2008 and 2012. “Do I need the pressure at this stage of my life? Why not? I’d give it a go. I’m not too old
Process is progress as Scotland seek Six Nations title eliminator triumph
Trusting the process. It sounds like a fine idea in principle: although it really depends if your process was any good in the first place.Gregor Townsend faced down a familiar cacophony of criticism after Scotland’s opening defeat by Italy last month. The same old shortcomings had been exposed, it was said, and another year of disappointment beckoned. Townsend had insisted the embarrassing capitulation against Argentina in November, from 21-0 ahead, was a “line in the sand moment” – only to see that line swiftly washed away in the sheeting Roman rain
F1 expected to cancel Bahrain and Saudi GPs due to Middle East conflict
Formula One is poised to cancel races scheduled for next month in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.The sport has not yet formally confirmed the grands prix will be scrapped but it is expected to announce their cancellation as soon as this weekend before the meeting in Shanghai is over.The races were due to take place on 12 April in Bahrain and 19 April in Saudi Arabia but the sport is rapidly approaching the point at which a decision on cancellation needs to be made to prevent more freight being sent to Bahrain. The Sakhir circuit is only 20 miles (32km) from a US base that has already been the target of Iranian attacks.Some team freight is already stuck in Bahrain, having been unable to move since testing, and understandably there is no appetite for having more equipment dispatched only to become unretrievable
F1’s Chinese GP, Six Nations finale and Women’s League Cup final – follow with us
George Russell is the driver to beat in Shanghai after his dominant win in Australia, and Mercedes will be in contention for another one-two finish in China. The only team who came close to crashing the party were Ferrari, but a pit strategy snafu blew their chances. A drive from seventh to second for Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli showed how Mercedes can sweep past other teams even if the start doesn’t go their way. By the time qualifying gets under way, the season’s first sprint race will have taken place, with Russell having taken pole position. Joey Lynch helms our lap-by-lap live blog
Bailiffs board Ryanair plane after airline refuses to pay delayed flight compensation
Bleak economic data shows UK plc in trouble well before Middle East crisis
UK economy unexpectedly flatlined in January, official figures show
Keeping it simple was always the answer for John Lewis | Nils Pratley
Watchdog puts UK fuel retailers ‘on notice’ over profiteering from Iran war
Middle East war creating ‘largest supply disruption in the history of oil markets’