Ryanair cabin crew are only paid for hours spent 'in the air', have to pay £1,800 for compulsory training and are forced to take three months' unpaid leave, claims former air hostess

A former member of Ryanair's cabin crew has claimed her working conditions at the budget carrier were 'a total nightmare'.
Sophie Growcoot, 20, from Liverpool, worked for the airline after she was employed by Crewlink, a contractor for Ryanair.
Despite her initial excitement at the prospect of working for the major airline, she said she became so frustrated with the conditions she took it up with her local MP Luciana Berger.

A former member of Ryanair's cabin crew has described working conditions at the budget airline as 'a total nightmare' (file picture)

During a debate in the House of Commons this week, Ms Berger raised the issue and accused Ryanair of exploiting its staff.
Ms Berger said Ms Growcoot was only paid for 'in the air' hours, not for pre-flight briefings, sales meetings, turn around times and time spent on the ground during delays.
She said she was told she had to take three months of compulsory unpaid leave each year and was forbidden from taking another job during that time, and had to pay £1,800 for compulsory training.

The claims appear to be documented in a Crewlink contract seen by MailOnline. However, Ryanair and Crewlink have dismissed the claims as 'untrue'.
Crewlink Ireland general manager Andrew Swan said Ms Growcoot 'had read, understood and agreed to and signed this Crewlink Limited contract prior to commencing work'.
Ms Growcoot, who has now left the company, has said she left her job as a waitress to sign a contract with Crewlink - the agency that provides cabin crew staff for Ryanair.

Sophie Growcoot worked for the airline after she was employed by Crewlink, a contractor for Ryanair

She claims she was forced to borrow £450 from her parents to fund the deposit on the £1,800 for compulsory training for her new job.
She said: 'I was really excited about joining Ryanair’s cabin crew at first, but it was a total nightmare. I couldn’t believe it when I learnt I wouldn’t be paid for all the time I was working.
'We’d only be paid when the wheels were moving, so I didn’t get a penny for the time spent in briefings before take-off, the turnaround time between flights, or the hours on the ground when flights were delayed or cancelled.'


During a debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Ms Berger said Sophie thought she had landed her dream job with the airline.

She said: 'It was not until she started that she learned she would not be paid for all the hours she put in, only the time when a plane she was working on was in the air.

MP Luciana Berger (left) accused Michael O'Leary's (right) airline of using the tactics to help achieve record profits of nearly half a billion pounds

'That meant not a penny for every pre-flight briefing she attended, nothing for sales meetings, nothing for turnaround time when a plane was on the ground between flights, and nothing for the hours waiting on the tarmac during delays and flight cancellations.
'She was only paid for four days each week, and on the fifth day she had to be available on unpaid standby, ready to come in at a moment’s notice but not receiving any payment if not called in.

CONDITIONS SOPHIE CLAIMS SHE WORKED UNDER

• 'Flight Pay' - Ryanair cabin crew are only paid for the time when the plane is in the air. They are not paid for any other duties including duties on plane during turnaround time; compulsory briefing which takes place at least 45 minutes before the flight; compulsory sales meetings
• Forced to take three months unpaid leave every year, but are forbidden from taking another job during this time
• Receive four days paid work per week – has to be on unpaid standby one or two days per week
• Sophie had to pay £1,800 for compulsory training
• Has to pay €200 (£168) admin fee in order to resign if she leaves the company within nine months of joining

'Sophie was told that she had to take three months of compulsory unpaid leave each year, and was forbidden from taking another job during that time.
'If she wanted to leave within nine months of joining the company, she had to pay Ryanair a 200 euros administration fee.
'To add insult to injury, she had to pay a staggering £1,800 to her employer for compulsory training.
'Last year, Ryanair recorded profits of just under half a billion pounds. How can its chief executive, Michael O’Leary, think it is fair or acceptable for his company to be profiting on the back of poorly treated staff like Sophie? As her situation grew worse, Sophie knew that there were no other jobs out there for her.'
Crewlink general manager Mr Swan said: 'In common with all contractors, Ms Growcoot received flight pay by reference to her scheduled block hours flown, at a rate that is significantly higher than the basic pay received by the airline's full time employees who are paid a lower rate per scheduled block hour, but are paid for all duty time.
'In addition her pay was supplemented by significant sales bonuses arising from sales made by Crewlink Ireland Limited cabin crew on-board our client aircraft.'
He said Ms Growcoot's claim she was paid four days a week was untrue. He said: 'She was paid for all block hours flown, in addition to sales bonuses and was accordingly paid for all contract work regardless of whether she flew three, four or five days per week.'
He added: 'Ms Berger's claim that "Ms Growcoot had to pay Ryanair a 200 euros administration fee" is simply untrue. No payments were made to Ryanair.
'Ms Berger's claim that Ms Growcoot "had to pay a staggering £1,800 to her employer for compulsory training" is also untrue. No £1,800 payment was made by Ms Growcoot to Crewlink Ireland Limited for training.'
He went on to say: 'It is unfortunate and regrettable that a Member of Parliament such as Ms Berger made no effort or attempt to contact Crewlink Ireland Limited to verify the accuracy of Ms Growcoot's false claim prior to making this inaccurate statement in the Houses of Parliament.'

'How can its chief executive, Michael O’Leary, think it is fair or acceptable for his company to be profiting on the back of poorly treated staff like Sophie?'
- MP Luciana Berger  

Last month the Daily Mail reported how low-fare airlines now carry the majority of passengers flying from the UK.
Of the 93 million passengers who started their journey at a UK airport last year, 52 per cent were flying with budget carriers, according to statistics from travel industry technology company Amadeus.
That compared to 48 per cent using no-frills airlines in the previous year.
And earlier this month the Daily Mail reported how millions of British Ryanair customers could be entitled to refunds after passenger Simon Couzens won compensation of more than £400.
The company had been accused of charging Britons more than passengers booking flights in other countries.
The company handed over the money rather than face a race discrimination claim by London-based classical musician Mr Couzens.
A snapshot survey at the time revealed the price difference applied to several other Ryanair routes.
A spokesman for the airline at the time said: ‘Passengers pay for flights in the currency their flight departs from.’

DAILYMAIL