Ryanair statement on boarding card reissue fees

Ryanair's appeal will be based on the following facts:

1. All passengers agree at the time of booking that they will check-in online, and print off their own boarding cards at least 4 hours prior to the scheduled departure of their flight.

2. Should a passenger arrive at the airport without their boarding card, then they are not entitled to fly, and there is no obligation on Ryanair to provide them with replacements.

3. 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.

4. It is not open to the Barcelona Commercial Court No.1 to redraft or alter the reasonable contractual terms already agreed between Ryanair and its passengers and which are readily observed by over 99% of all Ryanair passengers who arrive at the airport with their boarding cards.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara explained:

"Ryanair's low fare, low cost services appeal to millions of passengers because they are simple, efficient and agreed by each passenger at the time of booking. Without these procedures, Ryanair would have to re-employ numerous handling agents at all airports to issue manual boarding cards for passengers who simply "forgot" to bring their pre-printed boarding passes or who failed to comply with their original agreement to check-in online.

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.

If this ruling is upheld on appeal, Ryanair will be forced to cease offering a Boarding Pass Reissue facility at airports and passengers who are not in possession of a valid Boarding Pass for their flight will not be able to pass through security, and will be unable to travel. These passengers will then need to make a new booking for the next available flight at the current fare.

Ryanair cannot understand how the Barcelona Commercial Court can reinterpret a contractual agreement freely entered into between 73m passengers and Ryanair, after the event. We are confident that this ruling will be overturned on appeal, and in the meantime the boarding card reissue fee will continue to be applied at all Ryanair airports for this tiny number of passengers who do not comply with their agreement to arrive at the airport with their online boarding card."