Ryanair cancelled flight: refund, re-routing and compensation

Which Ryanair airline – and which law

Ryanair’s terms name five group airlines: Ryanair DAC (Ireland), Ryanair UK, Ryanair Sun (Buzz), Lauda Europe and Malta Air. Your flight number may start with FR even if a group airline operates it; the rights are the same.

• Flights departing the EU (Dublin–Malaga, Milan Bergamo–London Stansted): EU261, in euros.
• Flights departing the UK (Stansted–Dublin, Manchester–Alicante): UK261, in pounds. Ryanair’s UK notice of rights quotes both currencies.
• A flight from the EU into the UK on an EU-licensed Ryanair airline can be covered by both rules; you are only compensated once.

Ryanair’s notice also says compensation may be halved if it re-routes you and you arrive within 2 or 3 hours (depending on distance) of the original time. Check your band with the flight distance calculator.

Your options when Ryanair cancels

Ryanair’s help centre says that if you were told of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure, you can:

1. change to a flight on the same route at new times or dates for free;
2. ask to be re-routed under comparable transport conditions to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, or later at your convenience, subject to seats;
3. apply for a refund.

The options appear in Ryanair’s cancellation email and in My Bookings. A refund lands in your Ryanair Wallet within 24 hours, from where you transfer it to your card within 5 working days – details in our Ryanair refund guide.

No suitable Ryanair flight? Ryanair asks you to contact it for airport assistance before making other arrangements, so it can try to accommodate you first. You may then be advised to book the flights yourself and submit receipts. The law requires re-routing “at the earliest opportunity”, which is not limited to Ryanair’s own aircraft. Record the call or chat, and keep screenshots showing what was – and was not – available.

If you booked through an online travel agent, Ryanair may not have your contact details and may require customer verification before processing changes or refunds.

How often Ryanair cancelled flights at UK airports in 2025:

Flights operated

336,708

2025, at UK airports

On time (≤ 15 min late)

70.1%

close to the UK average (72.7%)

3 hours or more late

0.53%

1 in 189 flights · close to the UK average

Cancelled

0.27%

898 flights · better than the UK average

Average delay

16.5 min

UK average 15.1 min

Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics 2025 – departures and arrivals combined, measured against the schedule at the UK airport. How we use this data

Meals, hotel and transport while you wait

Ryanair’s notice of rights promises, free of charge, meal and refreshment vouchers in reasonable relation to the waiting time, two phone calls or emails, and – where your new departure is at least the next day – hotel accommodation and transport to and from it. Its help centre says that for overnight delays it “oftentimes” provides a hotel and transfers; if not offered, keep itemised receipts for reasonable expenses and claim them back.

Two warnings from Ryanair’s own pages:

• Contact Ryanair before arranging transport yourself; it reimburses reasonable receipted expenses where it could not provide care.
• If Ryanair contacted you and offered assistance but you made your own arrangements anyway, you “might not be entitled” to the extra costs.

Expenses are claimed on a separate expenses form and reviewed separately from compensation. Care is owed even when the cause was extraordinary, such as weather. Full rules: care during delays and cancellations.

When Ryanair owes compensation

Ryanair may refuse compensation for a cancellation when:

• you were told at least two weeks before departure;
• you were told 7–14 days before and offered a re-route leaving no more than 2 hours earlier and arriving less than 4 hours later;
• you were told less than 7 days before and offered a re-route leaving no more than 1 hour earlier and arriving less than 2 hours later;
• it can prove extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided.

Ryanair’s help centre lists what it treats as outside its control: adverse weather, de-icing, lightning strikes, runway or airport closure, strike action, air traffic control issues, bird strike, foreign object debris, external handling difficulties, security and medical emergencies. Several of these are recognised by the courts. Two need care:

• “Strike action” covers air traffic controllers or airport staff, but not a strike by Ryanair’s own pilots or cabin crew (Court of Justice, Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20). See strikes and the strike calendar.
• ATC problems must have affected your actual flight. Ask Ryanair which restriction and when – see air traffic control.

Ryanair says it can take 24–96 hours for its operations team to establish why a flight was cancelled, so an immediate “no” is worth querying.

How to claim from Ryanair

Compensation is claimed on Ryanair’s EU261 compensation form, which requires a myRyanair login. Ryanair’s terms (clause 15.2.2) ask passengers to claim directly and allow 14 days for a reply before using a third party, and to give a bank account held by the passenger. One passenger may claim for others on the same booking.

If Ryanair rejects the claim, its help centre points to ADR – in the UK, AviationADR. The full process, with rejection replies, is in our Ryanair claim guide.

Frequently asked questions

How much compensation does Ryanair pay for a cancelled flight?

€250 for flights up to 1,500 km and €400 for 1,500–3,500 km under EU261, or £220 and £350 under UK261 for flights from the UK – per passenger, if you were told less than 14 days ahead and the cause was within Ryanair’s control. Very few Ryanair routes exceed 3,500 km (€600 / £520).

Can I get a refund and compensation from Ryanair?

Yes. A refund (Article 8) and compensation (Article 7) are separate. Request the refund from the cancellation email or My Bookings, and the compensation on the EU261 form in myRyanair.

Ryanair has no flight for days. Can I book another airline?

Contact Ryanair first, as its help centre asks. If it cannot re-route you, it may advise you to book yourself and submit receipts. Keep evidence of what you asked and when, and choose a comparable fare.

Does Ryanair pay for a hotel when it cancels?

Yes, if your replacement flight is the next day or later: hotel accommodation and transport between the airport and the hotel, plus meals. If none is offered, book something reasonable, keep itemised receipts and claim on the expenses form.

Ryanair blamed a strike. Is compensation still possible?

If the strike was by Ryanair’s own staff, yes – the Court of Justice held in C-28/20 that an airline’s own staff strike is not extraordinary. A strike by air traffic controllers or other outside staff usually is.

The Ryanair name belongs to its owner; EU261 Flight Delay is an independent information site and is not affiliated with Ryanair. Information only, not legal advice.

Sources

1. I was informed of the cancellation of my flight less than 14 days before my scheduled departure time. What are my options? – Ryanair Help Centre
2. UK notice of your rights in the event of denied boarding, flight delay or flight cancellation (V17) – Ryanair
3. My flight is cancelled, and there are no suitable Ryanair flights available. What should I do? – Ryanair Help Centre
4. Compensation will not be paid for the following reasons – Ryanair Help Centre
5. General Terms & Conditions of Carriage (clauses 2.3, 14.4, 15.2) – Ryanair
6. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law – Article 5 (cancellation) – legislation.gov.uk
7. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 as retained in UK law – Article 8 (reimbursement or re-routing) – legislation.gov.uk
8. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) – UK Civil Aviation Authority
9. UK flight punctuality statistics 2025 – UK Civil Aviation Authority

We check every rule against the sources above. Spotted an error? Tell us – see our editorial policy.