After thousands of passengers experienced travel disruptions in the UK, Ryanair has urged its passengers to take action.
The low-cost airline is requesting that Martin Rolfe, the CEO of NATS, resign after staffing shortages caused 38 flights to be delayed by up to an hour this week.
More than 7,000 customers from the UK were affected by the delays, according to Ryanair.
"Ryanair has long pushed for ATC reform to ensure that ATCs are fully staffed, but UK ATC delays are getting worse due to repeated NATS mismanagement and staff shortages," the airline wrote in a statement to its passengers.
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"To prevent airlines and passengers from experiencing more avoidable ATC delays due to NATS's ongoing mismanagement and staff shortages, Ryanair urges all passengers to visit the 'Air Traffic Control Ruined Your Flight' webpage and demand that Transport Minister Heidi Alexander fire Martin Rolfe and reform NATS's hopeless ATC service."
As the top supplier of air traffic control services in the UK, NATS helps both military and commercial aircraft fly in UK airspace and at a number of UK airports.
Ryanair's statement follows easyJet, another airline, expressing "extreme unhappiness" with strikes by French air traffic control (ATC) workers a few days prior.
On July 3 and 4, French ATC employees went on strike over working conditions, disrupting tens of thousands of passengers.
The affected flights included those planned to fly across French airspace and those to and from French airports.
The Luton-based carrier's CEO, Kenton Jarvis, issued a warning, saying that the strikes are creating "unacceptable challenges."
"We are extremely unhappy with the strike action by the French ATC in early July, which not only created unexpected and significant costs for all airlines, but also presented unacceptable challenges for customers and crew," Mr. Jarvis stated.
He called the early July protest "very, very disruptive," since it cost the airline £15 million and resulted in the cancellation of 660 flights.
What rights do you have when a flight is cancelled?
If your flight is cancelled, airlines are required by UK law to offer you care and assistance, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
This implies that they must give guests lodging if they are moved to the following day, transportation to and from the lodging, a fair quantity of food and drink (often in the form of vouchers), and a way to communicate (sometimes by covering the cost of your calls).
The regulatory body further states: "The airline must provide you with these items until it can fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it."
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Airlines may not always be able to provide care and help for every customer in the event of a significant interruption.
The CAA advises planning your own lodging and transportation in those circumstances and deducting the expense later.
They go on to say: "If you have to pay for goods yourself, save all of your receipts and don't go over budget.
It's doubtful that airlines will reimburse you for items like upscale lodging or alcoholic beverages. Some will offer advice regarding fair prices.
Your airline must also provide you with the choice to select a different flight or get a refund for any portion of your ticket that you haven't used.
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