Law for Business: The Booking Contract of RyanAir

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Description of the Set of Standard Terms Applied by RyanAir Company

The set of standards and terms identified in this paper revolve around the booking contract of RyanAir, a UK-based Airline Company. The contract provides the standard terms under which RyanAir allows its customers to book its holiday services. When a customer books the company’s flight services, the terms indicate that a legal contract exists between RyanAir and the customer. When booking a holiday with the company, one is supposed to be over 18 years and a UK citizen.

The second term is that the company will provide security for the cash and monies paid by clients through its website. To make any changes to the holiday, the terms require that the customer should place the request in form of writing. Customers should notify the company when they want to cancel the holiday. The notification process is via letter, fax, or email. The terms also indicate that RyanAir has the right to change or cancel the flight or holiday when unexpected events occur.

The terms also address the issue of privacy and customer security (Mennen, 2010, p. 27). RyanAir Company is committed to protecting the security and privacy of its customers. The company safeguards all personal data collected from clients and processes the information by RyanAir’s Privacy Policy. The terms and standards also outline the way forward in the event of circumstances that are beyond the company’s control. The terms state that RyanAir will not be responsible and accountable for delays and mishaps caused by situations beyond the control of the company like terrorism attacks, weather changes, or labor disputes among others (Mennen, 2010, p. 29).

I had obtained these standard terms from the airline’s website “RyanAir.com” with the help of Google search. In perspective, the terms and standards indicated by the airline company, it is agreeable that they are subject and outlined under English Law.

Four Clauses from the Terms

We can highlight several clauses from these standard terms. The first one is the force majeure clause. A good example of a force majeure clause is the one stating that ‘the individuals booking with the company should be 18 years of age and UK citizens.’

The second clause is the complaints procedure clause. A complaints procedure identifiable in the standard terms is that ‘in case of unfair treatment, individuals should file a report through writing to have the issue addressed accordingly.’

The third is the cancelation clause. An example of a cancellation clause in the standard terms is the requirement that ‘the company is not liable for any events and situations that are beyond its control like floods and disasters.

We also have a fourth clause known as a prevailing law clause. A prevailing law clause occurs in the security provided to the company to ensure the data and information are private given to the company. The clause states that ‘RyanAir will provide necessary security to individuals and offer required privacy to the information obtained from the customers.’

The Purpose Served by the Identified in Booking Contract

The main standard terms under which RyanAir supplies holidays to its customers include the conditions of books, the privacy of customers and security of personal data, and events beyond the company’s control. These are set of standard terms put in place to have a healthy business between the customers and the company. The first term states that booking is the process of getting into a legal agreement with the company and any other party involved in the provision of holiday services (Mennen, 2010, p. 52). The person booking for the holiday services should be mature and a UK citizen. This is the first condition the customer should fulfill before establishing a contract with the company. This contract ensures that everything is by UK law regarding air travel.

The second term in the contract is customer security and privacy. The company is committed to ensuring that it has safeguarded the data of customers by its Privacy Policy. The company is keen to safeguard personal data, private information, and personal details collected from different. The data is also is processed as stated under RyanAir’s Privacy Policy. This term is important because it serves to ensure the customers’ information is secure and safe (Mennen, 2010, p. 65). This standard term is necessary because it assures the customers that their personal information is safely handled and not accessible to a third party.

If there is an event beyond control, the company has the right to cancel the holiday but be not liable for any inconveniences or delays caused. The importance of this term is to warn clients and be aware of events and calamities that are uncontrollable. It informs the customers that RyanAir cannot be held accountable or be in breach of its terms and conditions in holiday service delivery to the clients. These standard terms are important for businesses because they help to define the kind of relationship existing between the service provider and the esteemed customers.

Analysis of the Standard Terms under Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 of UK

The first standard term applied by RyanAir states that booking is the process of getting into a legal agreement with the company and any other party involved in the provision of holiday services. This is a written agreement and conforms to the Act because it presents the customers with fair terms. The term is also by other laws in the transportation sector whereby individuals entering a legal agreement with the company should be mature and citizens of the United Kingdom (Mennen, 2010, p. 61). However, this term can be unfair considering that it locks out non-citizens living in the country from accessing the holiday services offered by RyanAir Company. This means that, if analyzed carefully, it is notable that this standard term is subject to the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 because it discriminates against potential consumers who are non-citizens.

The second standard term is on the occurrence of circumstances and events that might be beyond the control of the airline company. If we were to examine the term carefully, we will note that the company autonomously states that it reserves the right to alter, change, or cancel holidays when some uncontrollable events or situations take place (Lawson, 2011, p. 40). This standard term is therefore subject to the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 because the airline company states that it can cancel holidays and flights in the event of breakdowns without being liable to the inconveniencies caused. We can apply the Act to explain the unfairness in the term because the company must ensure the airplanes are in condition and offer appropriate back-ups in the event of mechanical problems.

According to the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999, there are situations whereby the standards and terms adopted by different organizations might be discriminative or unfair to the customers or clients. According to this Act, unfair terms occur when the company does not consult with the clients and listen to the complaints presented by specific customers (Lawson, 2011, p. 48). The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 is in place to ensure different companies offer fair terms to the customers. According to the Act, if a term or standard is unfair, then such a term should not be binding on the clients or consumers.

Responsibilities of Companies in Keeping Customer’s Information Safe

There are several methods proposed by companies to secure customers’ data from access by unauthorized personnel. Currently, financial institutions and other companies safeguard the information by using appropriate measures such as safes, backup systems, and secure databases to keep the information provided by customers. Authorized individual only accesses the records and files when required by the organization to do so (Lawson, 2011, p. 40).

The companies also ensure their websites are stable and secured by using passwords. Other security measures include putting files in safes and ensuring there are guards to protect unauthorized access. Since it might be hard for some companies to take the necessary measures to secure the customers’ information, there are laws put in place to ensure companies have safeguarded such data.

Companies must keep the information of the customers safe. Companies use the information provided by customers because it has value and helps in the success of the business. They use the information to learn and study the unique needs and expectations of the customers. As well, companies use customers’ information and data in the provision of services and products to more customers. This helps the companies to learn about the desires of respective customers, and conduct surveys to determine buying trends, prevalence, and responsiveness of clients (Lawson, 2011, p. 49).

Companies can use names, contacts, and addresses to communicate with customers. The details and personal information can be used for statistical purposes and monitoring of business operations. Laws require that the information of different customers used by business organizations should be secured against any access. Any unauthorized access will endanger the security of the customers and make them lose vital information. It is the responsibility of companies to make sure customers’ information and data are safe and protected from foreign access (Lawson, 2011, p. 74).

Explanation of how I Conducted by Research to Avoid Misconduct

In conducting my research, I visited RyanAir’s website to read about the standard terms provided by the company for its customers. After reading and understanding the terms, I used my gained knowledge to write the paper without copying the information with the website. I also used the knowledge and laws learned in the class and applied them in the research. By so doing, I was able to avoid any form of misconduct. As well, I relied on my research to write the report without copying or discussing it with the other students in our class. I came up with my research and study on the study topic. With secondary materials and analysis of different laws as applied in the United Kingdom, it was possible to conduct personalized research thus coming up with original work as presented in this paper.

Reference List

Lawson, R 2011., Exclusion Clauses and Unfair Contract Terms, Oxford University Press, London.

Mennen, M 2010., An Analysis of RyanAir’s Corporate Strategy, Longman, London.

Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999. Web.

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