Ryanair compensation: when you are owed €250 or €400
Ryanair is the airline we receive the most claims about: we have already helped more than 30,000 Ryanair passengers. If your Ryanair flight arrived 3 hours late or more, was cancelled at short notice or you were bumped off it, you may be entitled to €250 or €400 per passenger, on top of any refund of your fare.
Ryanair DAC is an Irish airline based in Swords, County Dublin, so it is an EU carrier. That means Regulation (EC) 261/2004 protects you on Ryanair flights leaving any EU airport and on Ryanair flights landing in the EU from outside it, including from the UK or Morocco.
Long delay
You reached your final destination at least 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time.
3+ hours on arrivalCancellation
Ryanair emailed you about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure.
Under two weeks' noticeBumped from the flight
You had a valid booking and were at the gate on time, but were refused boarding against your will.
Owed at onceNo compensation
When Ryanair can show extraordinary circumstances, such as an air traffic control strike. It is the airline's favourite reason for saying no, and it often does not stand up.
Extraordinary circumstancesYou do not need to work out the rules yourself. Enter your airports and date and we will tell you in two minutes: check your Ryanair flight.
How much does Ryanair pay? €250, €400 or €600 per person
A €15 seat sale fare earns exactly the same compensation as a full-price ticket bought the day before. The only thing that counts is the distance between your departure airport and your final destination.
| Flight distance | Example Ryanair routes | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Dublin–London Stansted, Catania–Rome, Palermo–Bergamo, Palermo–Rome | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Dublin–Málaga, Dublin–Lanzarote | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Very few Ryanair routes are this long | €600 |
Each person on the booking has their own claim. Two adults and two children on a Dublin–Lanzarote flight that landed four hours late are owed €1,600 between them, and a child with their own seat counts in full. In our form you add the flight once and then list your fellow passengers.
Ryanair flight delayed by 3 hours? What to do
Delays make up 86% of the Ryanair claims we handle, with Catania–Rome, Rome–Catania, Catania–Milan and Palermo–Bergamo topping the list. The clock stops when at least one aircraft door opens, not when the wheels touch the runway, so a flight that landed 2 hours 50 minutes late can still qualify once it reaches the stand. We check the exact time for you. While you are still at the airport:
- Keep your boarding pass in the Ryanair app or as a screenshot: it shows you actually flew.
- Save texts and emails from Ryanair about the delay, as the reason given at the airport sometimes differs from the one in the reply to your claim.
- Note the real arrival time and photograph the arrivals board.
- Ask for food vouchers and keep receipts for anything you buy yourself.
- Do not sign anything that waives your rights, and do not accept a voucher instead of cash compensation.
Care Ryanair must give you while you wait
Whether or not compensation is due, Ryanair has to provide meals and refreshments and, for an overnight delay, a hotel and transfers. If it does not, you can claim back reasonable costs.
| Flight distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| Delay of over 5 hours | You can abandon the trip and have your fare refunded |
Missed a connection with Ryanair?
Ryanair mostly sells single flights, so many travellers book onward legs separately. With separate bookings, each flight is assessed on its own. If both flights were on one booking and you reached your final destination 3 or more hours late, compensation is based on the full distance. More on our page about Ryanair delay compensation.
Ryanair flight cancelled: refund, rerouting and compensation
When Ryanair cancels, its email usually pushes you towards a refund or a free move to another flight. Accepting either does not cancel your right to compensation, which is a separate payment.
Always your choice after a cancellation: get the fare back or travel on an alternative flight.
Paid on top if you were told less than 14 days before departure and the cause was within Ryanair's control.
| When you were told | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more before | Not due (you keep the refund or rerouting) |
| 7 to 13 days before | Due, unless the new flight left no more than 2 hours early and landed less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days before | Due, unless the new flight left no more than 1 hour early and landed less than 2 hours late |
Retimed flights. A big change to your departure time shortly before travel can count as a cancellation under EU case law. Took the refund already? Find out if compensation is still owed. Full guide: Ryanair cancelled flight compensation.
Ryanair overbooking and denied boarding
Only about 6 in 100 of our Ryanair claims involve denied boarding, but it does happen: you hold a valid ticket, arrive at the gate in time, and there is no seat for you. Compensation is then due straight away, together with another flight or a refund.
It is different if boarding was refused for a reason on your side, such as an invalid travel document or missing the gate closing time. If you are not sure which applies, ask us to check for free, or read our guide to Ryanair overbooking.
Ryanair strikes: are you entitled to compensation?
Ryanair has faced strikes by its own pilots and cabin crew in the past, notably in 2018. When the airline's own staff walk out, the EU Court of Justice has ruled that this is not an extraordinary circumstance, so compensation is normally payable (case C-28/20). Strikes by air traffic controllers or airport workers are different: no compensation, although your rights to care and to a refund or rerouting remain.
Ryanair rejected your claim? Common excuses and what the law says
Many Ryanair claims are first turned down with a reference to "extraordinary circumstances". That label is not always justified. Here is how EU case law treats the reasons we see most.
Routine faults and maintenance are part of operating an airline. Only hidden manufacturing defects revealed by the manufacturer or the authorities are excluded.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07Payable if Ryanair's own crew were on strike. Not payable if air traffic controllers or airport staff were.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20A knock-on delay is not extraordinary in itself. Ryanair would have to prove that an extraordinary event caused the first delay in the chain.
These can excuse the airline, but only if they genuinely caused your delay. We check the airport's weather and slot data for that hour before accepting a refusal.
Flights operated by Ryanair UK, Malta Air, Buzz or Lauda Europe
Plenty of flights sold under the Ryanair name with an FR flight number are actually operated by another group airline: Ryanair UK, Malta Air, Buzz or Lauda Europe. Your confirmation shows which one. Your rights are the same and the claim goes to the operating airline, but in our form you simply choose Ryanair.
Ryanair compensation on UK, Moroccan and other non-EU routes
Because Ryanair DAC is an EU airline, its flights into the EU from non-EU countries are covered as well as its flights out of the EU. That includes, in both directions:
- routes between the UK and the EU
- routes to and from Morocco
- routes to and from Albania, Jordan and Turkey
- Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, which apply the same rules
Flights departing from the UK are also covered by the UK's own rules, which pay £220, £350 or £520. Ryanair UK is a British airline, so on its flights from the UK only the UK rules apply. We work out which regime applies to your flight.
How to claim from Ryanair: on your own or with DelayFlight24
You can claim for free through the EU261 claim form in the Ryanair Help Centre. Ryanair asks you to verify that you are a named passenger, so you will need your myRyanair account, the booking reference and your travel document. Here is how that compares with using us.
Free, but you deal with Ryanair and with any refusal yourself. If that fails, you can complain to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed (the CAA for UK departures), try an ADR scheme or go to court, at your own time and cost.
Two minutes online and an e-signature. We handle the claim, the letter before action and any court case with our own lawyers. No win, no fee: 25% + VAT. Legal costs are ours, even if the case is lost.
If Ryanair has already rejected your claim
Even if you used the EU261 form and got a "no", you can still pass the case to us. We review the stated reason and, if it is not justified, restart with a formal demand.
Documents to have ready
- Booking confirmation or boarding passA photo or app screenshot is enough.
- Passport or IDFor every passenger, including children.
- Ryanair messagesDelay or cancellation emails and texts, plus receipts for expenses.
How long do you have to claim from Ryanair?
The Regulation sets no time limit; the EU Court of Justice has confirmed that national rules decide (case C-139/11), so deadlines differ between countries. Flights from months or even years ago are often still claimable: enter the date and find out.
How long does Ryanair compensation take?
You fill in the form once and we do the rest. If Ryanair accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and sometimes court action are needed, which can add several months. You get an email update at every stage, and once Ryanair pays we send your share by bank transfer.
Lost or damaged baggage on Ryanair
Delay and cancellation compensation does not cover luggage, which falls under the Montreal Convention. If your bag is missing or damaged, file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport before you leave, then write to Ryanair within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of receiving the bag for a delay.
Ryanair contact details and flight status
- Registered office
- Ryanair DAC, Airside Business Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, Ireland
- Claims
- EU261 claim form in the Ryanair Help Centre, via your myRyanair account
- Flight status
- Ryanair app or the official website
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