Ryanair poaches Aer Lingus passengers with $100 'rescue fare' after a massive technical failure canceled more than 50 flights to and from Ireland

When Aer Lingus was forced to cancel 51 flights on Saturday, budget airline Ryanair wasted no time in exploiting the situation.

The European budget carrier offered $100 "rescue fares" to hundreds of Aer Lingus passengers stranded at the Dublin,Cork, and Shannon airports.

—Ryanair (@Ryanair) September 10, 2022

Travelers shared photos on social media Saturday of long lines at the Dublin airport, with one commenting that few if any Aer Lingus staff have received manual check in training.

Aer Lingus said in a statement Saturday that the "unavailability of key systems for check-in, boarding, and our website" was caused by a break in service from a UK network provider.

The airline said that customers who had their flights delayed or canceled can apply for refunds or change their travel plans for free.

The company apologized for the disruption.

—Michael Kelly (@Michaelkelly707) September 10, 2022

Thousands of flights around the world have been delayed or canceled this summer due to understaffed airlines. According to a travel analyst, the industry may not recover until at least 2024.