Interview of the month: Sergio Fernàndez Afonso

As part of our new section "Inside the Network", this month we had the pleasure of speaking with Sergio Fernández Afonso, Customer Service Legal Performance Manager at Ryanair.

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OSS: Thank you, Sergio, for taking the time to share your perspective with us. We are delighted to feature your contribution in this edition of our Newsletter, confident that it will be one of its highlights. To start, we’d like to touch on a more personal note—looking at the satisfaction that comes from your role..

OSS: What do you find most rewarding about working in the Customer Service Legal Department of a major airline like Ryanair?

Sergio Fernández Afonso: What I find most rewarding is the pace and autonomy with which we operate. Within clearly defined boundaries, we are empowered to make impactful decisions without the need for constant escalation to senior management. This agility enables us to respond quickly and effectively to legal developments and operational demands. Given the nature of the airline industry—fast-paced, highly regulated, and customer-centric—being able to act decisively at scale is both challenging and incredibly fulfilling. It fosters a dynamic environment where legal strategy and operational efficiency go hand in hand.

OSS: In your role at Ryanair, what are the main legal challenges you face when it comes to managing passenger claims across multiple jurisdictions?

Sergio Fernández Afonso: The biggest challenge is managing the sheer volume of litigation. We handle thousands of lawsuits annually across various European jurisdictions, and that's not including the vast number of pre-litigation matters. This scale forces us to strike a careful balance: we aim to treat each case with the attention it deserves, but we must also adopt a macro-level view to identify patterns, optimize resources, and ensure consistency in our legal approach.

Another major challenge is cost-efficiency. Passenger litigation, particularly under EU261 and related regulations, often involves high volumes but relatively low individual claim values. We need to maintain a lean and cost-effective litigation model while still upholding Ryanair's policies and legal positions—especially in areas like Claim Management Companies (CMCs), OTAs, or general settlement negotiations. Coordinating across multiple legal systems, each with their own procedures and timelines, adds an extra layer of complexity.

OSS: As Europe’s largest LCC, Ryanair naturally handles a high volume of passenger claims. Besides the daily use of the claim management platform, how do you use technology to support and optimise claim management processes?

Sergio Fernández Afonso: Technology plays a pivotal role in enabling us to manage the volume and complexity of passenger claims efficiently. Of course, Excel remains a cornerstone of our day-to-day operations. Its flexibility allows us to tailor datasets, run quick analyses, and structure information in ways that directly support decision-making at both operational and strategic levels.

We also integrate multiple data sources into Power BI to generate real-time dashboards. These help us track key performance indicators, such as the impact and efficiency of our in-house Legal Associate team, agent productivity, and vendor performance. Having this visibility allows us to identify trends, allocate resources more effectively, and course-correct quickly when needed.

In addition, we use Trello to manage legal strategy initiatives, coordinate vendor and jurisdictional updates, and track ongoing projects across the department. Tools like Microsoft Copilot support us in drafting templates, summarising legal documents, or pulling insights from complex data, which helps us reduce time on repetitive tasks.

Altogether, this ecosystem of tools allows us to operate with speed, consistency, and data-driven insight—crucial when managing litigation at the scale of a pan-European airline.

OSS: In a fast-moving regulatory and digital landscape, what skills or mindsets do you consider essential for legal professionals working in the airline sector today?

Sergio Fernández Afonso: Adaptability is key. The aviation sector is one of the most regulated industries globally, and the pace of change is accelerating—especially as airlines expand into new markets with diverse legal frameworks. Legal professionals need to be open to continuous learning and willing to challenge established practices when circumstances shift.

We are also seeing potential regulatory changes at the EU level, particularly around passenger rights, which could significantly impact how we handle claims in the near future. The ability to interpret new legislation quickly, assess its operational impact, and adapt internal processes accordingly is essential. In addition, a collaborative mindset—working closely with digital, operational, and customer service teams—is increasingly important, as legal issues no longer sit in a silo but intersect with technology, public perception, and customer experience.

Thank you for the interview!