It seems you can’t browse the web without seeing ads for flight delay compensation claims management companies these days.
We’re big advocates of the DIY approach to flight delay compensation claims though. You really don’t have to use a claims management company at all. Of course, if you’re busy and value your time, there are pros to using a company to do it on your behalf.
If you go it alone and claim yourself, your experience could vary from airline to airline. So let’s look at Ryanair – how do you go about claiming flight delay compensation from one of Europe’s best known budget airlines?
Ryanair Flight Delay Record – Punctuality Stats
Ryanair is pretty pleased with its punctuality record. So much so, it regularly publishes stats on its website. According to the site, 88% of Ryanair’s flights in the first 6 months of 2016 arrived on time.
So by comparison to other airlines, Ryanair does well with relatively few delays. Not that this will make the 12% of people who were delayed feel any better.
How much could you claim?
Of course, not all delayed flights are delayed by the minimum time, but if you have been on a Ryanair flight that was delayed by 3 hours or more and it was Ryanair’s fault, here’s the level of compensation you might be able to claim:
Was the delay Ryanair’s fault?
You’ll only be able to claim compensation for a Ryanair flight delay if it was the airline’s fault. So, for example, you might be able to make a claim if:
- The pilot or any of the crew were late
- The flight was cancelled owing to under booking
- There were technical issues on the aircraft of a routine nature
If the delay was down to air traffic control decisions, a technical fault out of the ordinary, political issues or the weather (or other things outside of the control of Ryanair) then you won’t be able to claim.
How to claim flight delay compensation from Ryanair
You have two options. You can either:
- Claim directly from Ryanair yourself
- Use a claims management company to do it on your behalf
Bear in mind that if you use a claims management company, it’s likely that you’ll sacrifice some of your compensation in fees, but by the same token, they’ll handle the process for you. So if you really don’t want to spend any time dealing with it or you’re particularly busy, this is a potential option.
Ryanair Online Claim Form
If you deal directly with Ryanair, you will of course keep 100% of any compensation you successfully claim. Ryanair has an online form for completion here.
Alternatively, you can go the old fashioned route and write to them at:
Ryanair Customer Services Department,
PO Box 11451,
Swords,
Co Dublin,
Ireland
In your letter, you will need to state which flight you were on, the date and time, the length of time you were delayed for and how many people were in your party. Specify clearly that you are requesting compensation under EU Regulation (EC) 261/2004. You should also specify the amount of time in which you expect a response.
If Ryanair does not respond within this timeframe, you can chase it.
What if Ryanair refuses to pay out?
Anecdotally, a number of delayed passengers are complaining that Ryanair are refusing compensation payouts, largely citing the delays as “extraordinary circumstances.” You can challenge that if Ryanair does this to you.
Simply write back and explain why you believe this was not the case. If you still do not get a satisfactory response, you should advise Ryanair of your intention to take your case up with the Civil Aviation Authority.
The CAA advice can be found at https://www.caa.co.uk/Passengers/Resolving-travel-problems/How-the-CAA-can-help/How-the-CAA-can-help/. Please note:
- The CAA can advise on whether it thinks you have a valid claim and can liaise with the airline on your behalf
- The CAA cannot enforce payment
However, you do have the opportunity then to pursue a claim through the courts if CAA involvement does not result in a positive outcome.
It’s situations like this where some people prefer to use the services of a claims management company who’ll handle it if it becomes more complicated. That’s entirely your call, however.
Successful claims for Ryanair flight delays
Have you had a successful claim for a Ryanair flight delay? Get in touch and let us know what happened. Equally, we’d love to hear stories from those having trouble with their claim too. This helps us to tailor our advice.
The Boring Bit
We’re not solicitors and we’re not legal professionals. Nor are we flight delay compensation specialists. These pages are just our recommended approach and we would always suggest that if you’re unsure you should seek professional advice.
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Myself and I know many others cannot complete the compensation form as when you put in your cancelled flight it comes up with error incorrect flight number, when it is not. It does not matter how you try to go about compensation it always comes back to the same form with the same problem.
Ryanair tweeted just keep trying! alot of help that is.
We’re sorry to hear that, Donna! Really hope you manage to get it sorted soon!
I keep getting the same response, I have printed off AIR PASSENGERS RIGHTS EU COMPLAINT FORM.
This form can be used to lodge a complaint with an airline and /or national enforcement body.
On page 5, this is the page for cancelled flights.
I shall complete this,copy it,and wait for a reply.
Hi
How long should I expect to wait for Ryanair to compensate me?
Rich
I am not claiming expenses for my delayed flight but can I claim compensation for my rebooked flight which was 7 hours later
I had a similar problem. Simply rectified by clicking in the box and back spacing. It seems the default is one space in meaning you can’t fully write the flight / reservation number they require.
Hi how long does it take for Ryanair to compensate me for a delayed flight? I have gone direct with them
Thanks in advance
Still the same problem with the incorrect flight number error months later, only now Matthews solution doesnt work. it is entirely deliberate and so is that fact that they dont provide an email address you can send a claim to. Disgraceful.
I’ve bought two tickets (S7UH5B) on Ryanair from Pisa to Rodes for 236 euro on 26.07.2018, including priority boarding with two bags.
When two of us came to the airport 2 hours before departure there was a long line for check in. We waited for one hour. When our turn for check-in came up and we showed our printed tickets we were told by the staff that we had to check-in online and print the boarding pass. As if we didn’t do that we had to pay the penalty 55 euro for each boarding pass. We didn’t get any notification that if we didn’t make a check-in online we should pay the penalty in amount of 110 per two passengers. This rules were not written on my ticket which I’ve bought and printed, they were not written in e-mail. The only thing that I read was that I can make check-in online 2 hours before the departure. Though there wasn’t written that I couldn’t check-in at the desk or it would cost that pleanty of money. Then we asked the woman (who wasn’t polite to us and has no name on her badge) to call for the manager of Ryanair. He came and told us that all the rules were written in a ticket and asked us to show all the printed tickets, when we did that and showed him all e-mails he confirmed that there were no information about penalties but insisted on the penalties.
Actually concerning the international law the registration on the flight starts 24 hours before the departure and ends 40 minutes before departure. You can’t stop the registration on the flight before 2 hours before the departure. I know that If I had no chance to make registration on the flight online I can do that at the airport. And if you take penalty for printing of the boarding passes you should inform about that and write in the ticket. In other way that’s fraud. We’ve been traveling for the last few days (including ferries) and had no chance to print the boarding pass. But if we knew about the penalty we would definitely find the opportunity to do that.
I’m sending you the tickets and you can see the emails which your company sent to me you wouldn’t find there even a word about penalty. I see that the penalty for not checking-in online and for the excess of the weight of the luggage cost us the same amount of money as tranportation service (price for two tickets). The service of printing of the tickets was actually imposed to us.
Your company brought us great moral and financial damage. We were very upset upon the not honest game from your side and not friendly policy to the customers, foreigners, woman. You can see the attached video as the evidence of my words. In case if you refuse to return the money on my credit card I’ll write to international ministry of flights, to the commercial court and to the Court of human rights.
Afterwards I payed the penalty for me and for the other passenger to whom I bought the second ticket (and who didn’t get any e-mail from your company concerning the penalty or any other information) and brought the bill to the staff the woman at service desk (I wrote about) told me that we had to pay another penalty for the luggage as if it was more then 10 kg each. In common it’s weight was 34 kg and inspired of that fact and the other fact that I payed extra for the priority boarding with two bags on the board and that there was written in the tickets that we can take 20kg for each person, we were fired on 100 euro again. The staff doesn’t allow us to put the things from one bag (to make its weight 10kg) to another bigger. The woman with no name told us that we will fly without luggage because we have only three minutes to pay the penalty for the extra kilograms of luggage. We payed again. In common the penalty was 210 euro, 105 euro from each person.
We registered our luggage and went to the gate of departure in time.
To say that we were very dissatisfied and disappointed is to say nothing.
I hope for your understanding of the situation and will make proper improvements in the activity of your company. You will make rules more vivid.
Before I didn’t give this case start please return me the money I payed as a penalty.
I have all videos of not polite manner of talking of the Rayanair employees, all the receipts, tickets, boarding passes.