Your passenger rights in the event of a delayed or cancelled Ryanair flight
As all Ryanair routes include at least one UK/EU destination, all Ryanair flights are covered under the European and British air passenger rights regulations. Under certain conditions, you may be entitled to Ryanair compensation of up to £520 per passenger and a full refund of the ticket price for your Ryanair cancelled flight.
Since Brexit, 'The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019' apply to all flights handled by British airlines, including Ryanair. What do the regulations say exactly?
Was your Ryanair flight delayed? If you arrived at your final destination at least 3 hours behind schedule, then you are likely to be entitled to compensation of up to £520 per passenger.
Was your Ryanair flight cancelled? If you did not take an alternative flight offered by the airline, you can claim a full monetary refund. Plus, if the Ryanair flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days prior to departure, you might also be entitled to cancelled Ryanair flight compensation.
Regardless of why your flight is disrupted, airlines are required to provide special assistance to passengers, known as the "right to care." This assistance includes things like food and drinks vouchers, communication services, and, if needed, help with accommodations and transportation. If the airline's service desk is not providing you with these, you can buy the necessary items yourself, and Ryanair will have to reimburse you for reasonable expenses.
Important Note: If your flight experienced delays or cancellations due to "extraordinary circumstances," you may not be eligible for flight compensation, as the airline must bear responsibility for the flight disruption in order to provide compensation and refund to affected passengers.
Ryanair compensation for delayed flight
If your Ryanair flight experiences a delay exceeding 3 hours, you have the right to seek Ryanair flight delay compensation in accordance with the British passenger rights regulations. It is crucial that the airline is at fault for the delay.
To determine your eligibility for Ryanair flight delayed compensation, utilise our free and no-obligation Claim Calculator. In less than a minute, you will know whether you qualify for Ryanair delayed compensation. If you are eligible, we can manage the entire claims process on your behalf, operating on a "no win, no fee" basis. In the event of a need, we are also prepared to advocate for your rights in court.
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Ryanair compensation for cancelled flight
Was your Ryanair flight cancelled? Depending on the exact circumstances surrounding your cancellation, you might be eligible for a flight refund, flight compensation, or both! Keep reading the following section to learn about when you can claim flight compensation and refund for your Ryanair cancelled flight.
When can I claim compensation for my cancelled Ryanair flight?
If your Ryanair flight was cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled departure date and you did not opt for an alternative flight, you may qualify for compensation for the cancelled Ryanair flight.
To be eligible for compensation, the cancellation must be due to Ryanair's fault. For further details, refer to the "Extraordinary Circumstances" section in this article.
When can I get a Ryanair refund for my cancelled flight?
You are entitled to a Ryanair refund if your flight was cancelled and you did not take an alternative flight offered by the airline.
If you were not offered an alternative flight at all, you are also entitled to a Ryanair refund.
Can I get flight compensation if I cancel my Ryanair flight?
If you choose to cancel your Ryanair flight, it does not guarantee that you will receive compensation or refunds from the airline in accordance with British and EU regulations. According to the Ryanair refund policy, you may only be entitled to a refund if serious situations like severe illness or death are involved. Check out the Ryanair website for more details about their refund policies.
Missed connection flight due to Ryanair delay or cancellation
If you have missed a connecting flight due to a delay or cancellation of your Ryanair flight, and both flights were booked under the same reservation, you may be eligible for compensation and/or a refund for the entire trip if the delay or cancellation meets the criteria mentioned above.
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How much Ryanair compensation can I get for a delayed or cancelled flight?
The amount of Ryanair compensation is determined by the distance of your flight:
For flights shorter than 1,500 km, the compensation is £220.
For flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the compensation is £350.
For flights of over 1,500 kilometres within the EU, the compensation is also £350.
For flights of over 3,500 kilometres outside of the EU, the compensation is £520 —but if your flight was delayed by fewer than 4 hours, the total amount might be reduced by 50%.

I travelled with Ryanair to a non-EU country. Am I still entitled to compensation and refund?
Yes. European and British air passenger rights regulations apply to all Ryanair flights.
However, it’s worthy to remember that the rules are different when flying with non-EU carriers. See the table below for more information
Can I claim compensation for a flight outside of Europe?
Flying with a British carrier
Tokyo to London with British Airways
Flying with an EU carrier
Amsterdam to London with KLM
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier from the UK
London to Tokyo with Japan Airlines
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier to the UK
Tokyo to London with Japan Airlines
Type of flight | Example | Compensation |
---|---|---|
Flying with a British carrier | Tokyo to London with British Airways |
|
Flying with an EU carrier | Amsterdam to London with KLM |
|
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier from the UK | London to Tokyo with Japan Airlines |
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Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier to the UK | Tokyo to London with Japan Airlines |
|
Extraordinary circumstances — can Ryanair deny me compensation?
Generally, you are not entitled to Ryanair compensation and refund if the flight disruption was not the fault of the airline. We call these situations extraordinary circumstances.
Some of the most common extraordinary circumstances that allow Ryanair to deny your claim are:
Bad weather conditions, such as thick fog, heavy rain, or thunderstorms.
A strike, most often specifically within the aviation industry (for example, a strike of air traffic control workers at a specific airport).
However, a strike of the airline's crew is not considered an extraordinary circumstance!
Political circumstances, such as a terrorist attack or general security risk due to political unrest.
Natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.
A collision between the aircraft and birds or other foreign objects.
An ill or unruly passenger.
Flight delays caused by the airport staff, such as extraordinarily long queues to security checks.
However, it’s worth noting that airlines still too often deny rightful claims by citing extraordinary circumstances as the cause of the flight cancellation or delay. Make sure to double-check whether you are entitled to Ryanair compensation and refund — for example, by using our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator.
How long do I have to claim Ryanair compensation and refund?
Since Ryanair is based in Ireland, you have up to 6 years to claim your Ryanair compensation and refund according to the laws of the UK, regardless of your itinerary.
Check right now with our Claim Calculator whether you are still eligible for compensation and refund for your delayed or cancelled Ryanair flight.
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How long does it take to get a Ryanair refund and compensation?
Generally, Ryanair refunds for cancelled flights are processed relatively quickly.
However, if Ryanair is unresponsive or your claim is more complicated that it has to go to court, it might take longer to get your money back — from a few months up to even a few years.
“Our flight has been cancelled a few days before our trip in 2018. Ryanair refused to make compensation. Fight-Delayed.co.uk(Your-ce.com) continues working on our claim and make it successful finally. They are absolutely brilliant team and very reliable.”
If you decide to claim your Ryanair compensation or refund with Flight-Delayed.co.uk, you can rest assured that we will take care of the whole process for you, from start to finish. We will thoroughly analyse your case, get the right documentation ready and prepare the claim in a way that maximises the chance for success. We will handle the whole communication with the airline and — should Ryanair decide not to approve your compensation or refund claim — go fight for your rights in court.
Even if it might take a while to get your money back, we will keep you posted on any important updates regarding your claim and be there to answer any questions you may have.
For your convenience, we work exclusively on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
How to claim Ryanair compensation and refund?
First, in order to make sure you are not wasting your time, use our free, no-obligation Claim Calculator to double-check if you are entitled to Ryanair compensation and/or a refund.
If you are, you can try to claim by yourself directly with the airline or let us handle all the work for you. We’ll efficiently process your claim, send it to the right people at Ryanair and fight for your rights until the very end, even in court.
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Learn more about our fees on our Price List page or claim right away — straight from your phone or your computer — using our smart online system.
Check your Ryanair flight status
Checking your Ryanair flight status ensures that you are up to date with any changes or potential delays or cancellations. To do so, simply visit the Ryanair website for flight information updates. You can also visit the airport website or flight tracking sites.
About Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish airline, founded back in 1984. It is the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family which includes also airlines like Ryanair UK, Buzz (Polish charter airline, formerly known as Ryanair Sun), and Malta Air. Ryanair operated more than 2,500 flights daily, connecting over 225 destinations in 37 countries.
Ryanair has, since its beginning, operated under a low-cost principle and is also commonly known to have specific cabin baggage rules, which are a regular cause of frustration among its passengers.
The low-cost principle, however, allowed Ryanair to grow extremely fast, especially during the last few years. Since 2019, Ryanair is the largest airline group in Europe, surpassing Lufthansa, which dominated the region for years.
According to OAG statistics in June 2021, Ryanair has an on-time performance of 92.8% and a 0.1% of flight cancellations.
Useful links
- Blue Islands flight compensation
- More details on delayed flight compensation
- More details on cancelled flight compensation
- Post-Brexit flight compensation rules in the UK
- Rules regarding missed flight compensation
- Rules regarding flight compensation in the case of denied boarding
- Claim Calculator — check if you are eligible for compensation