Airline passengers got €1.1m in compensation for complaints in 2024
Irish airline passengers received €1.197 in compensation for complaints upheld by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) against airlines.
The aviation watchdog also obtained €360,104 in refunds for passengers following the its intervention.
The IAA's 2024 annual report also said that 1,943 complaints against airlines were not upheld.
The report said that the main reason was that the air carrier was able to prove that a disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances and therefore it would be exempt from paying compensation.
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Of the 1,726 complaints upheld, 973 complaints related to flight cancellations, 677 complaints concerned long delays while 64 complaints related to 'denied boarding', the report said.
Last year Aer Lingus accounted for 33 per cent of all complaints with Ryanair accounting for 31 per cent, the report said.
According to the report 'overall, complaints against Aer Lingus are down 6pc year on year despite significant disruption in June and July 2024 due to industrial action which resulted in the cancellation of over 500 flights'.
The report also said that the IAA handled 4,425 complaints against airlines in 2024 and this included complaints carried over from 2023 and 2,211 complaints submitted in 2024.
The number of complaints submitted in 2024 was down 30 per cent in comparison to the 2023 complaint levels, the report noted.
Dublin Airport reports its service quality performance to the IAA monthly and the report said that security queue times have improved markedly since 2023. In 2024, security queue times exceeded 30 minutes on six separate days and this compared to 20 days in 2023.
The IAA also monitors quality of service at Dublin Airport across 15 different passenger satisfaction metrics and in 2024, Dublin Airport incurred a passenger Quality of Service (QoS) bonus of €4.5 million and a penalty of €3.8 million, resulting in a net bonus of €0.7 million.
The IAA last year recorded a pretax profit of €2.57 million as revenues totalled €37.43 million.
The IAA's legal costs last year came €1.55 million. The report also said that the determination of legal costs in respect of a legacy defamation case from 2014 were settled in February 2025 for €407,486 following a Supreme Court decision.
Numbers employed total came 189 with 134 engaged in safety regulation. Staff costs totalled €22 million and the report said that 91 employees earned more than €100,000 and that included five in the €175,000 to €200,000 pay range, 24 earning between €150,000 and €175,000 and 41 earning between €125,000 and €150,000.
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