Ryanair offers 'rescue' fare as BA strike looms

Ryanair has launched a flat rate "rescue" fare of €69.99 for BA passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted by strike action this weekend. The price, which is for a one-way flight and includes taxes and charges, is available on more than 400 routes to and from the UK, according to the airline. Passengers must provide their BA booking reference to qualify for the fare. However, the airline has refused to say how many seats are still available for this weekend – the first period affected by the BA strike action. It does warn, however, that availability is limited as most Ryanair flights are "already heavily booked on these three days". This is not the first time Ryanair has offered rescue fares. Sean Tipton, a spokesman for ABTA - The Travel Association , said that two weeks ago the airline offered a €69 fare for passengers caught out by the collapse of Air Slovakia travelling from Birmingham to Bratislava. "The only thing was, Air Slovakia hasn't flown from Birmingham to Bratislava for almost a year," Tipton said Ryanair spokesman Daniel de Carvalho defended the offer, saying that Air Slovakia's website listed the route as active. He denied that although Ryanair flies the Birmingham to Bratislava route it might be expected to notice that its competitor had stopped offering that option. "We were trying to act very quickly because an airline had gone bust. Of course we were happy about the publicity generated, but for stranded passengers it was a rescue fare." BA passengers whose flights are affected by the strike action can choose to cancel and use the refund to buy a ticket elsewhere, but the danger is that they could end up spending more for the new ticket than if they sat tight and let BA reschedule them on to a different flight. Such passengers would not be able to reclaim the difference in cost from their travel insurer or BA. Likewise, those who hold on to their BA ticket while booking an alternative could end up out of pocket if the strike is cancelled.