Ryanair has threatened to take legal action against the British government unless it meets demands for relaxing airport security... (8/21/2006)

Ryanair has threatened to take legal action against the British government unless it meets demands for relaxing airport security and improving staffing at overstretched airports.

According to AP, the airline wants the government to return passenger search requirements to pre-alert levels within seven days (ultimatum was issued last week). It also wants the government to restore the hand luggage allowance for passengers leaving British airports and an assurance that military and police personnel would be released to help with airport security checks next time there is a major security alert.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said the carrier has sent a letter to Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander informing him of its demands.

These measures are giving the terrorists and extremists an unbelievable public relations success, regaled Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Irish airline Ryanair. He said, according to BBC, they must be rolling around the caves of Pakistan laughing at the British government and the British people at the moment. Look at what we can do with just a couple of mobile phonecalls.

Meanwhile, the Department for Transport (DfT) ruled out any imminent return to normal airport security measures, despite an ultimatum from budget airline Ryanair, according to local media. But the DfT said it had no intention of compromising security and did not anticipate changing requirements in the next seven days.

The Transport Department reportedly said that the current security regime was necessary because of the level of the security threat, which remains at high, and is kept under constant review. We have no intention of compromising security levels nor do we anticipate changing our requirements in the next seven days, it said.

O'Leary declined to say how much compensation the airline would seek from the government, but said the alert had so far cost the carrier a couple of million euros in canceled flights and lost bookings. He reportedly rejected analyst forecasts that Ryanair faced a 10 million euros ($12.8 million) hit, saying the short-term cost was likely to be "a couple of million euros" and the long-term impact would be immaterial.

If the security procedures are returned to normal within another seven days, then Ryanair will not make any claim against the government, he added.