Ryanair flight delayed by 2 hours: what you're owed

If your Ryanair flight is delayed by 2 hours, you are not yet owed money: on flights up to 1,500 km you are entitled to food and drink at the airport, and compensation of €250 or €400 only applies if you reach your destination 3 hours or more late. If you are reading this at the gate, here is what to ask for now, how Ryanair handles meal vouchers and receipts, and when a claim is worth making.

Free 2-minute check · Nothing to pay upfront · You only pay 25% + VAT if you get compensated

Ryanair flight delayed by 2 hours: compensation or just care?

At 2 hours, EU Regulation 261/2004 gives you care, not compensation. On short Ryanair routes such as Dublin–London Stansted or Dublin–Edinburgh the threshold is 2 hours; on longer flights such as Dublin–Faro or Dublin–Lanzarote, care starts after 3 hours. Here is how your rights grow as the delay gets longer:

Every threshold is explained hour by hour in our guide to a flight delayed by 2, 3 or 4 hours.

How Ryanair handles meal vouchers and receipts

When the expected delay passes the threshold, Ryanair hands out meal vouchers at the airport to spend in the terminal's cafés and restaurants. If the flight slips to the next day, it often arranges a hotel and transfer as well. Three practical points make the difference:

• Ask before you spend. Ryanair asks you to contact it before arranging your own transport or accommodation. If it offered care and you made your own arrangements anyway, the extra costs may not be refunded.
• Keep itemised receipts. If no care is provided, reasonable costs for meals, hotels and transport can be claimed back by sending Ryanair receipts that list what you bought, not just a card statement.
• Expenses and compensation are separate claims, reviewed separately by Ryanair.

Note that care applies if you choose to travel on the delayed flight or on the first available alternative. If you ask for a refund or for a flight on a later date of your choice, meals and hotel are no longer owed.

Your options while you wait

During a long delay Ryanair lets you wait for the flight at its new time, be rerouted to your destination at the earliest opportunity or on a later date if seats are available, or change your flight for free to another time or day on the same route.

Keep your boarding pass and booking details to hand: if you are unsure how to get or reissue it, read our guide to Ryanair online check-in.

From 2 to 3 hours: when compensation kicks in

Compensation depends on the delay at arrival, measured when the aircraft doors open. A Dublin–Stansted flight that leaves 2 hours 20 minutes late and arrives 2 hours 50 minutes late gives you nothing beyond your meal; if it arrives 3 hours 5 minutes late, each passenger is owed €250.

Compensation is not due if the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather, an air traffic control strike or a medical emergency on board. Ryanair says it usually needs 24 to 96 hours to establish the cause of a delay. A technical fault, on the other hand, does not normally rule out compensation. To see what your flight is worth, use our compensation calculator.

What to do at the gate if your Ryanair flight is late

1. Photograph the departures board and save emails, texts or app notifications with the new time.
2. Ask for meal vouchers at the desk or gate as soon as you pass your flight's threshold.
3. Ask why the flight is delayed and write it down: it helps if Ryanair claims extraordinary circumstances.
4. Contact Ryanair before booking a hotel or taxi; if nothing is offered, spend sensibly and keep itemised receipts.
5. Note when the doors open on arrival: that time decides whether compensation is due.

When a claim is worth making

If you arrived 3 hours or more late, all the rules for this airline's flights are on our Ryanair compensation page. With DelayFlight24 you can check for free in 2 minutes whether you are owed €250 or €400: if you go ahead, we handle the claim, the follow-ups and, if needed, court action. Nothing to pay upfront, and you only pay 25% + VAT if you get compensated.

Frequently asked questions about a 2-hour Ryanair delay

Will Ryanair refund my ticket for a 2-hour delay?

No. With 2 hours you are entitled to care at the airport on flights up to 1,500 km. A ticket refund is only available from 5 hours, if you decide not to fly.

Ryanair gave me no meal vouchers: what can I do?

Ask the staff; if nothing comes, buy what you need sensibly, keep itemised receipts and claim the money back from Ryanair.

We left 2.5 hours late and arrived 3 hours 10 minutes late: am I owed anything?

Yes: the arrival delay is what counts. Unless there were extraordinary circumstances, you are owed €250 or €400 per passenger depending on distance.

Can I change my flight for free if Ryanair is delayed?

Yes, during a long delay Ryanair lets you move for free to another time or day on the same route, or be rerouted to your destination.

If my expenses are refunded, do I lose compensation?

No. Expenses and compensation are separate claims and you can get both if you are entitled to them.

Find out more

• Air passenger rights
• Delayed flight: when you can claim compensation
• Cancelled flight: refund and compensation
• Overbooking: what you are owed
• What our service costs

Article updated on 30/10/2026 by the DelayFlight24 editorial team.