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I'm planning to go for a trip with friends to Budapest from Italy for the new year.

Basically we found some Ryanair flights but we are worried that our flight will be cancelled at the last minute like some other Ryanair flights on previous times...

The problem is that we also want to book a flat (8 guys) with Airbnb and the possibility to get our money back (as said before, a very big amount of money, between 2-3k €) is available only if we cancel 1 week before check-in.

Does Ryanair offer compensation if the flight is cancelled at the last minute? Does it provide a different way to get to the destination? Does Ryanair has to offer compensation for additional costs (like airbnb)?

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    Air ticket terms do not usually include coverage for other services you have arranged like lodging. I am not sure but don't think EU rules require airlines to provide additional compensation for other aspects of your trip.
    – user13044
    Oct 2, 2017 at 9:38
  • Related article: theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/30/…
    – martin.koeberl
    Oct 2, 2017 at 12:38
  • Bankruptcy of Monarch is a boon for Ryanair, there are now a lot more pilots available.
    – Count Iblis
    Oct 2, 2017 at 22:34

4 Answers 4

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Ryanair is obligated to give you the EU flight compensation and they will. Beyond that, do you want a rant on getting what you paid for?

Edit: apparently cancellation rights include

re-routing to their final destination at the earliest opportunity or re-routing at the convenience of the passenger to the final destination subject to availability of seats.

Further, the CAA warned Ryanair that they need to re-route using other airlines as well and refers to flights using alternative airports and that Ryanair is obliged to bear the cost of transferring to those airports. Which is great because Ryanair tends to be fairly unique in their routes from very oddball airports.

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    @Anon I've never heard of an airline that doesn't disclaim all responsibility for additional costs caused by a delay. And Ryanair, known the world over for its lack of customer service, is not going to do anything for you they aren't legally required to do. You can look at travel insurance, but be sure to read the fine print to see what exactly is covered and what the policy limits are.
    – Zach Lipton
    Oct 2, 2017 at 9:38
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    @chx under EU261 rules, Ryanair is required to reroute you on another airline if you so wish - in addition to compensation. europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/…
    – user29788
    Oct 2, 2017 at 10:24
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    @chx the phrasing doesn't limit the rerouting to the problem airline - read the CAA letter to Ryanair specifically telling them to stop misleading customers on this caa.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CAA/Content/News/News_files/2017/… (see point 2)
    – user29788
    Oct 2, 2017 at 11:13
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    None of this helps at all, if Ryanair goes belly up the way Monarch just did. Everyone here seems to assume that Ryanair has endless amounts of cash lying around that they can dole out to passengers or other airlines. They do not. The CAA can order and warn Ryanair all they way they want: if Ryanair doesn't have the cash, they simply can't comply
    – Hilmar
    Oct 2, 2017 at 14:05
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    @Hilmar Ryanair's current situation is not funding or company health related, they screwed up with their pilots holiday schedules meaning the majority of them became rota'd on for mandatory leave at the same time - which left Ryanair with no pilots for flights. That's why they are cancelling flights at the moment - they screwed up operationally. In a general sense, yes this answer doesn't help when the airline goes bankrupt, but that's not what's happening here.
    – user29788
    Oct 2, 2017 at 18:17
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Uh, this is exactly the sort of thing travel insurance is sold for - you have an uncertainty that you want covered, and you don't want to be massively out of pocket if that uncertainty becomes reality.

Go and talk to an insurance broker and have them advise you (on what policy to buy) in writing - that way, you should be covered for both the Ryanair uncertainty and any mis-selling of insurance should the insurance company refuse to pay out.

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    Although I do buy travel insurance, I should not have to pay a third-party to compensate for RyanAir's violation of law. On the other hand, if it's a reputable insurance company, they'll pay me and then their lawyers will provide RyanAir with an expensive education.
    – WGroleau
    Oct 2, 2017 at 12:04
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    @WGroleau which law requires airlines to provide compensation for costs incurred beyond the flights (and direct incidentals to the flights, such as delay based accommodation etc) themselves? EU261 lays out the specifics of an airlines obligations in quite some depth, and it doesn't mention anything about compensation or recompense for other losses incurred beyond any related to the flights themselves. I'm not sure on what basis any insurance company could sue an airline to recover those costs either - its not the airlines obligation, it's not part of the contract between passenger and airline.
    – user29788
    Oct 2, 2017 at 12:12
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    @WGroleau If RyanAir has to compensate you beyond the flight, the average cost of tickets will increase. One way or another, you'll have to pay for that insurance. The way it works right now is that more risk averse customers can opt-in into insurance, while others don't. The gains from mandatory insurance are not clear to me.
    – FooBar
    Oct 2, 2017 at 14:12
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    @WGroleau These questions are settled before you even buy your ticket: In the agreement you signed by buying a ticket. Unless the agreement is gravely defective in some way, your option is to walk away or commit to it wholly. Once you have, reneging on that makes you a dishonest person, in other words it makes you the bad guy. Your life is yours to manage. RyanAir is only the travel provider, and if you want them to agree to handle your housing too, then do that consensually by buying a tour package.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Oct 3, 2017 at 16:37
  • Rather than the accepted answer, this is the correct one. A traveller's insurance, in particular one with a provision for cancellation, is the only right way to protect yourself from unexpected cancellations, whether through your own fault or through no fault of your own. Relying on 'the law' to protect you from a company with a whole team of lawyers is a risky proposition at best.
    – Cronax
    Oct 4, 2017 at 10:06
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If you are worried about a cancellation, the answer is simple: Don't book with Ryanair.

You may be entitled to compensation https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/sep/30/ryanair-cancellation-flights-refund-rebook-airline but it's complicated and likely to interfere with or even ruin your trip. Compensation policy can also change quickly if things get worse for Ryanair

Travel insurance may help, but you need to read the fine print carefully. Insurance only kicks in after all other compensations avenues have been exhausted (which you often have to prove yourself) and even then coverage is often limited to expense paid and that won't get you a new flight.

If you want to be sure you can make the trip as planned, book a reputable carrier.

Cautionary tale: Monarch Airlines just went bankrupt leaving 100,000 passengers stranded abroad http://money.cnn.com/2017/10/01/news/monarch-airlines-administration/index.html

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    No, they have not left 110,000 passengers stranded. They’re Atol protected, so the CAA are going to charter aircraft (and have already started) to transport all of them home. Nobody will be left abroad and forced to pay for their ticket (And if they are, that’s a government failure). bbc.co.uk/news/business-41477267 your source even makes it clear that the UK government is doing so. 😡
    – Tim
    Oct 3, 2017 at 1:35
  • Only package holidays are ATOL protected. The majority of Monarch passengers abroad are flight only and do not have protection, so would have been left stranded had the UK government not stepped in to help repatriate those as well. Flight only customers from abroad staying in the UK have not been offered repatriation assistance and so have effectively been left stranded. In Anon's case, the trip would be flight only and ATOL will not apply. However, Ryanair is profitable and unlikely to go bankrupt any time soon.
    – webdevduck
    Oct 3, 2017 at 8:27
  • @webdevduck nope. "Does ATOL cover flight-only bookings? Yes, in some cases. If you book a flight with an ATOL holder (either direct or through a travel agent) and you get an ATOL Certificate as soon as you make payment, your booking is protected if the ATOL holder fails and the ATOL holder is also obliged to offer a refund should the airline that you are booked with fail financially." ( caa.co.uk/ATOL-protection/Consumers/… )
    – Muzer
    Oct 3, 2017 at 11:00
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    That may apply in some cases, but does not apply to bookings with Ryanair (or Monarch). Ryanair: ATOL information - Flights booked directly from an airline are not ATOL protected ryanair.com/gb/en/useful-info/help-centre/terms-and-conditions. Monarch: while Monarch package holidays are protected by the Atol scheme, those who booked flights only are NOT protected. bbc.co.uk/news/business-41463787
    – webdevduck
    Oct 3, 2017 at 12:51
  • I have had a flight cancelled by Swiss International Air Lines just because they did not have enough customers. I see "reputable" airlines among the shadier ones at flightaware.com/live/cancelled
    – nic
    Oct 4, 2017 at 8:05
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From my experience, RyanAir will not provide any compensation beyond rebooking the flight or a refund. Good luck in getting any service from RyanAir beyond that.

Airlines are supposed to provide some basic compensation for delays over x hours in Europe, but that is fairly limited and not covering the total cost of your airbnb.

We got stuck in Greece last year when the air traffic controllers were threatening to strike. A lot of flights got cancelled and all passengers were scrambling for hotels.

I was traveling with KLM to Amsterdam and my girlfriend was traveling with RyanAir to Dublin. KLM was very helpful and provided a flight with other airlines without any problems. My girlfriend was fully dependent on the flights from RyanAir and she needed to basically keep checking the website.

My travel insurance took care of some additional costs (up to a certain limit per day), but was not fully covering everything because I had a fairly basic plan.

My girlfriend's travel insurance still needs to pay her claim (after a year!). So check the small print of your travel insurance as well.

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    Ryanair are legally required to compensate according to the EU261 regulations. They even have a website for this exact purpose. The reason your girlfriend was not compensated by Ryanair is because her flight was cancelled due to something that was outside of the airline's control. These recent issues with Ryanair are totally within their control, thus anyone affected is eligible for EU261.
    – Moriarty
    Oct 4, 2017 at 7:29

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