German court rules against passenger rights site in Ryanair dispute

The Flightright legal services company that  represents passenger compensation claims is not allowed to disparage Irish budget carrier Ryanair, a German court has ruled.

The Hanseatic Higher Regional Court in Hamburg prohibited the online company from claiming, among other things, that the airline was trampling on consumer rights, it said on Friday.

Furthermore, the platform may no longer advise its customers to ignore any attempts by the airline to contact them. A penalty payment of €250,000 ($291,000) was imposed for each repeat offence.

Flightright handles passenger compensation claims in the event of serious flight delays and enforces them legally against airlines, taking a commission for the service.

In this context, the Hamburg court obliged the company to make its additional 14% legal surcharge transparent from the outset.

According to the EU's Air Passengers Rights Regulation, airlines have to pay compensation of €250 for delays on short flights of up to 1,500 kilometres.

For longer flights, customers are entitled to up to €600 after a delay of three hours. Companies seeking compensation on behalf of passengers tend to take up to 40% of the amount, according to Ryanair.

The Dublin-based airline welcomed the ruling, which is based on a precedent set by Germany's Federal Court of Justice.

Head of marketing Dara Brady urged passengers to submit their claims directly to Ryanair to avoid unnecessary costs. Customers would receive 100% of what they are entitled to, Brady said.

In the event of flight delays, consumers who do not wish to bring claims against the airline can also use the free service provided by Germany's Travel and Transport Arbitration Board, which says it reaches an agreement in up to 90% of cases.