As a low-cost airline, Dublin-based Ryanair frequently fields accusations of trying to squeeze passengers in any way it can.
The low-cost business model in general relies on luring in travelers looking for a bargain with a rock-bottom fare and then making up for the difference by charging for additions that would normally come included if one purchased a ticket on a mainstream airline.
As major carriers also leaned into basic economy fares over the last decade, this model has become more and more difficult for airlines to sustain without ending in bankruptcy.
On March 9, the reputation around low-cost airlines being cheap was cemented in the eyes of a plane full of passengers after Austrian bailiffs entered a Ryanair plane over €890 ($1,021 USD) that the carrier had not paid to a traveler whose flight was delayed by more than 13 hours two years ago.
“We accompanied the bailiff to the aircraft where the bailiff carried out his official duties”: Linz Airport on Ryanair
As first reported by The Guardian, one bailiff entered a Ryanair Boeing 737 plane bound for London from Linz Airport (LNZ) in the northeast of the country, while another waited on call at the airport.
The incident arose over an Austrian passenger who had taken a Ryanair flight from Linz to the Spanish island of Mallorca in 2024 that ended up delayed by 13 hours. According to EU laws on compensation for disrupted travel, the passenger was entitled to a refund and expenses for the alternative flight she was forced to take.
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While an Austrian court ordered Ryanair to pay the €890 in incurred costs, legal expenses and interest, Ryanair failed to pay and the traveler asked it to pursue enforcement action to get the funds.
“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,” a spokesperson for Linz Airport said in a statement.
“We accompanied the bailiff to the aircraft, where the bailiff carried out his official duties.”
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After getting slapped with debtor sticker, Ryanair denies its plane had been “seized”
As Ryanair does not carry cash on board, it could not provide the bailiff the funds aboard the aircraft, and so the bailiff ended up sticking a seizure label on the plane.
Known as a “cuckoo sticker” in local bankruptcy courts, it indicates that the company is under court order to pay a debt and that the plane can legally be seized as an asset if the sum is not reimbursed (an unlikely scenario, given the much lower debt in question).
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In a statement to The Guardian, Ryanair denied that its aircraft had been “seized” but declined to comment further on the situation.
The flight departed for London slightly later than scheduled, while a lawyer representing the passengers told local media outlets that she will continue pursuing the case for her client until the debt is paid.
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