A RYANAIR air hostess who was ordered to pay for her own flight home after falling on slippery plane stairs while working at Cork Airport has been awarded €30,000 in damages.
The decision was made today at the Circuit Civil Court to award cabin crew member Laura Albacete, from Barcelona in Spain,
The incident happened on a wet morning at Cork Airport on 11 February 2012.
Ms Albacete fell from the top to the bottom of an air stairs which was located at the rear of the plane.
Ms Albacete struck her head and was unconscious for a brief period of time.
The 28-year-old was then taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital where she was examined in the emergency department.
She suffered a head injury and a sprained ankle.
After she had received treatment she decided to fly home to Spain to recover.
Rather than cover her flights, Ryanair insisted on her paying her own air fare.
For the full details of today's court case, go to The Irish Times' article.
Update
Ryanair have since issued the following statement regarding the incident: “We have instructed our lawyers to immediately appeal this decision.”
