Compensation for a delayed or cancelled Ryanair flight

Compensation for a delayed Ryanair flight

Passengers can claim compensation of €250 to €600 for a delayed Ryanair flight if they reach their final destination 3 hours or more late. The arrival delay is counted until at least one of the aircraft doors is opened and passengers can leave the aircraft, not until the moment of landing.

What are your rights when your Ryanair flight is delayed?

Ryanair aims to have its aircraft take off again within 25 minutes of landing. With such a schedule, a delay early in the day is hard to make up and is carried over from one flight to the next. If the delay is caused by an earlier flight of the same aircraft, Ryanair can rely on an extraordinary circumstance that affected the previous flight only if it proves that it directly caused the delay of your flight and that the delay could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

In extraordinary circumstances - for example, severe weather, air traffic restrictions or certain airport problems - Ryanair may be released from paying compensation if it proves that this particular circumstance caused the delay of that particular flight and that the delay could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Ordinary technical faults and strikes by Ryanair's own staff over employment issues are, as a rule, not extraordinary circumstances.

Compensation for a cancelled Ryanair flight

If Ryanair cancels a flight and passengers are told less than 14 days before the scheduled departure, they can claim compensation of €250 to €600, unless the airline proves that an extraordinary circumstance caused the cancellation of that particular flight and that the cancellation could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, or it offered re-routing that meets the conditions of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. Besides financial compensation, the Regulation also gives you the right to choose between a refund of the ticket price and re-routing to your final destination, as well as the right to care - meals, refreshments and, if needed, accommodation. Care is owed even when the cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances.

How much compensation does Ryanair have to pay?

Under Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, the amount of compensation depends on the length of the route:

If you are re-routed, the airline may, under certain conditions, reduce the compensation by 50%.

Check how much compensation you can get for your Ryanair flight

Refund of the ticket price and other expenses

If your flight is cancelled or you are denied boarding, the airline must offer you a choice between re-routing to your final destination and a refund of the ticket price. The choice is yours - Ryanair cannot force an alternative flight on you instead of a refund. If your flight is delayed by 5 hours or more, you have the right to give up the trip and ask for a refund of the ticket price.

When can you ask Ryanair for a refund of your ticket?

• your flight was cancelled and you chose a refund instead of re-routing;
• your flight was delayed by 5 hours or more and you decided not to travel;
• you were denied boarding and chose a refund instead of re-routing.

The refund covers the price of the unused parts of the ticket and is due within 7 days. It is paid in cash or by bank transfer, and a voucher can only be given with your written agreement.

A ticket refund is not compensation. These are two separate rights, and getting one does not cancel the other. If your flight is cancelled or you are denied boarding, you do not lose your right to compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 just because you accepted a refund of your ticket or re-routing.

What other expenses can you claim from Ryanair?

• the cost of meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and transport if you waited for the delayed or replacement flight and Ryanair did not provide them;
• the costs you incurred to reach your final destination if you were not offered a choice between re-routing and a refund and had to arrange the journey yourself.

Did you miss a flight because another Ryanair flight was delayed?

Ryanair is a point-to-point carrier and does not sell connecting flights. If you bought two Ryanair flights separately and missed the second because the first was delayed, Ryanair does not owe compensation for the missed flight - you can only claim compensation for the first flight if it reached its own destination 3 hours or more late.

If you bought the flights together through an online agent, whether they count as connecting flights depends on the specific booking - check your flight and we will assess your case.

Ryanair flight compensation - routes and amounts

The table shows examples of Ryanair routes in Europe and the possible compensation per passenger. The amount shown is the possible compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 - your entitlement depends on the other conditions of the Regulation, and in certain cases the compensation may be reduced.

The examples are based on Ryanair routes as of October 2026; some of them are seasonal. On flights to the EU from non-EU countries, the Regulation applies when the flight is operated by an EU carrier. Ryanair UK flights from the United Kingdom are covered by the UK rules. Distances are calculated using the great circle method, as required by Regulation (EC) No 261/2004.

How does the process of collecting your compensation work?

You can follow the progress of your claim in your personal account, and we email you whenever there is a change in your case. If you have any questions, you can always contact us by phone too.

Did the airline refuse to pay you?

The airline’s refusal does not necessarily mean that you are not entitled to compensation. The reason given in the refusal is not always sufficient to release the airline from liability.

See why airlines refuse to pay compensation and how you can proceed.