February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Ryanair had been sued by one of its own pilots, Captain John Goss. The core of Goss’s case was that the low-budget airline had unfairly brought disciplinary procedures against him. The case was settled last week. Although the terms of the settlement were supposed to remain private, subsequent media reports have indicated that the airline agreed to pay EURO200,000 ($241,000) towards the pilot’s legal costs.
Goss’s main suit led to a secondary action in which he alleged that O’Leary, along with Ryanair’s head of flight operations, David O’Brien, and the airline’s chief pilot, Ray Conway, were in contempt of court. If the three men had been found to be in contempt, brief prison terms could have resulted.
Following the settlement in the main case, lawyers for both the pilot and for Ryanair appealed to the judge in the contempt case not to deliver a verdict. Justice Barry White said he would not have acceded to that request if he believed there had been contempt, but he had not reached that conclusion. He said he was therefore willing to strike out the case without making any order. He added, however, that he believed Goss had been justified in bringing the alleged contempt to the court’s attention.
The main case that Goss had taken related to Ryanair’s plan to introduce new aircraft into its fleet. According to the pilot, Ryanair sent him a letter alleging that he had behaved in an intimidating way towards other pilots in London, in an attempt to dissuade them from taking up positions on the new Boeing aircraft that would fly out of Dublin.
Goss denied that he had done this. He also alleged that the airline had refused to supply evidence to back up its claims and had gradually shifted its arguments as it began disciplinary proceedings. Ryanair denied Goss’s claims.
In addition to the contribution towards the pilot’s legal fees, the settlement reportedly included an acknowledgement by the airline that Goss’s status as “a pilot in command” would continue. It also appears that Goss accepted training on the new aircraft and agreed that he would be based in Dublin for the foreseeable future.
Both sides tried to claim victory in the aftermath of the case, with Ryanair’s David O’Brien praising “an excellent settlement”. Goss told the assembled media that his reputation had been vindicated.
Ryanair is also currently involved in a court action over whether Ireland’s Labor Court has jurisdiction to hear pilot complaints against the airline. The Labor Court has held that there is a trade dispute between Ryanair and the IMPACT trade union. Ryanair does not believe it has the power to make such a finding.
On Friday, the judge presiding over the case taken by the airline reserved judgment.