Should I switch my Ryanair departure?

Q I have some Ryanair flights booked to Spain tomorrow. I’ve received an email offering me the option to move the flight to an alternative date.

If I choose not to move my flight, and the flight gets cancelled, will I be unable to get a refund or move the flights?

Hannah T

A Around 25,000 Ryanair passengers who are due to travel tomorrow have already been told their flights have been cancelled because of coordinated strike by cabin crew and pilots in several European countries. The airline’s usual practice when faced with disruption – of which there has been plenty this summer – is to cancel flights in bulk to protect the rest of the schedule.

Initially the airline planned to cancel 190 flights, saying all passengers whose departures were grounded could rebook or obtain a full refund. But then The Independent learned only 150 flights had been cancelled. Around 7,000 passengers on 40 additional departures were told they could switch to a different date “to minimise any disruptions that this [strike] may cause”.

The email continued: “If you decide to remain on your schedule [sic] flight, Ryanair intends to operate as normal on Friday September 28. Should this change, Ryanair will notify you of any cancellation or delay via email and SMS.”

My advice is that unless you cannot countenance the risk of a short-notice cancellation, you should not change the flight.

If it is, unfortunately, cancelled at short notice, Ryanair will pay for your hotel and meals and find an alternative flight for you – either on its services the same day or on the following day, or with a rival airline.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder