What your Ryanair contract says

In short

Ryanair's General Conditions of Carriage form your contract for each booking. For UK-departing flights they are read alongside UK Regulation 261/2004, the Montreal Convention 1999 for international journeys, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Ryanair sells four fare bundles (Basic (Value), Regular, Plus, and Flexi Plus) and a separate Family Plus bundle. The fare you buy determines whether a 10 kg cabin bag, a reserved seat, priority boarding, or a free name change is included; only Flexi Plus offers free flight changes inside the change window and refundability is restricted. Cabin and hold baggage rules are enforced strictly at the gate, and Ryanair's airport fees for unanticipated changes are notoriously high. Statutory rights to compensation for cancellation, long delay and denied boarding apply on top of the commercial conditions and cannot be waived. Ryanair does NOT participate in a CAA-approved ADR scheme, so unresolved complaints must be taken to the CAA's PACT service or to the courts (typically the Money Claim Online small-claims track in England and Wales).

What you agree to do

• You MUST check in online and either download your boarding pass to the Ryanair app or print it before reaching the airport (checking in at the airport triggers a £55 (€55) airport check-in fee per passenger per flight).
• On a Basic fare you may bring only one small personal bag (40x20x25 cm) that fits under the seat in front; a 10 kg overhead cabin bag requires Priority & 2 Cabin Bags, Plus, Flexi Plus, or Regular bundles.
• Hold bags must be added at booking or in Manage My Booking; airport hold-bag fees are roughly double the online price and are charged per passenger per flight.
• Bags presented at the gate that exceed cabin allowances are gate-tagged and incur a non-negotiable fee (currently around £70 / €70).
• Name corrections cost £115 (€115) online or £160 (€160) at the airport; only Flexi Plus includes a free name change.

What you can ask for

• If Ryanair cancels, you are entitled to a full refund within 7 days or rerouting on the next available Ryanair flight (or a comparable carrier where Ryanair has no flight within a reasonable time, per UK Reg. 261/2004).
• If cancelled with less than 14 days' notice (and not extraordinary circumstances), compensation is £220 for journeys up to 1,500 km or £350 for 1,500-3,500 km (Ryanair rarely operates routes longer than 3,500 km).
• If you arrive more than 3 hours late at destination due to a cause within Ryanair's control, the same £220/£350 compensation scale applies.
• You have the right to care during disruption: meals, refreshments, two communications, and overnight accommodation plus transfers if needed (all at Ryanair's expense).

Points worth knowing

• Strict cabin and gate baggage enforcementRyanair gate staff routinely test bags in the sizer. Anything that does not fit is gate-tagged with a c.£70 fee. The 10 kg cabin bag is permitted only with Priority & 2 Cabin Bags or higher bundles.
• Hostile self-service refund flow on cancellationsRyanair's cancellation flow defaults to a travel voucher and routinely steers customers there. You are statutorily entitled to a cash refund in the original payment method within 7 days; insisting in writing is usually required.
• No CAA-approved ADR schemeUnlike most major UK carriers, Ryanair does NOT subscribe to AviationADR or CEDR. Unresolved complaints must therefore be escalated to the CAA's Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT), which is non-binding, or pursued in the small-claims court (both options are slower than ADR).
• Refused 261 compensation citing 'extraordinary circumstances' frequentlyRyanair has historically denied delay compensation for crew strikes (its own cabin-crew industrial action), bird strikes, technical faults and ATC restrictions. UK and CJEU case law has rejected several of these defences (e.g. Krüsemann v TUIfly on staff strikes), but many valid claims are only paid after court action.
• Verification screening for third-party bookingsIf you book through an OTA (Kiwi, eDreams, etc.), Ryanair forces a 'Customer Verification Process' before allowing check-in, blocking access to your booking until completed. The process has been criticised by the CAA and is the subject of ongoing complaints.
• Air Passenger Duty refundable only on requestAll UK-departing fares include APD. On a no-show non-refundable ticket you can reclaim the APD portion, but Ryanair charges a per-passenger admin fee that often exceeds the APD itself on short-haul economy.

Dates and deadlines

Online check-in window (without seat selection)

Opens 24 hours before departure, closes 2 hours before; with paid or Plus/Flexi seat, opens 60 days before

Refund deadline after cancellation

Ryanair must refund within 7 days of your refund election (UK Reg. 261/2004)

Damaged or delayed baggage notice

7 days for damage, 21 days for delayed delivery (Montreal Convention)

Compensation claim limitation

Six years from the date of disruption (Limitation Act 1980); Ryanair's terms purport to require notice within 2 years but UK statute prevails