Ryanair has left passengers fuming after cancelling a flight from Tenerife to Malaga on Thursday, leaving passengers planning to travel to the Costa del Sol stranded in the Canary Islands. The airline has offered those affected a seat on the same flight this Thursday (July 20th) as it doesn’t have one sooner, but will only cover the cost of the first night in a hotel.
The incident has caused an enormous backlash from passengers who had to endure several hours of waiting until Ryanair finally announced the flight was cancelled, and that the subsequent claim that had to be processed at their counter in the airport which was described as “crazy chaos”.
Passengers had started to arrive at the airport at 1pm for the early afternoon flight, and ten hours later at 11pm they were still there but now queuing to present the corresponding claim so that they could get a voucher for accommodation for the night.
Many of those affected tried to get a flight for Friday to get back to Malaga, but found that flights were either already sold out or prices were now much higher than they had originally paid with Ryanair. They did have options to Seville or Madrid with Ryanair, but where would they stand for compensation for the original flight?
What to do if Ryanair cancels your flight?
In general, you can claim for the following incidents:
Cancellation: when a scheduled flight does not take place and in which at least one seat was reserved.
Delay: the difference between the actual time of arrival of the plane and the time initially estimated by the airline.
Denial of boarding (overbooking): when there is a refusal by the airline to transport passengers on a flight, unless it was for reasonable reasons such as health or safety reasons or the presentation of inadequate travel documents. The most well-known cause of denied boarding is overbooking.
Class change: accommodation of the user in a higher or lower class seat than the one for which the ticket was paid.
Facua says that European regulations indicate that companies would not be obliged to pay compensation if they inform passengers:
- At least two weeks in advance.
- More than seven days before and offer alternative transport that allows them to leave with no more than two hours in advance of the scheduled departure time.
- Less than seven days before and offer another flight that allows them to leave no more than an hour in advance and reach their final destination less than two hours late.
It must be taken into account that the rights described here affect ALL flights that:
- Depart from an airport in the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
- Depart from an airport in a third country and are destined for an airport in the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, and the airline belongs to the European Union.
What compensation are you entitled to?
If Ryanair does not comply with its obligations, the automatic compensation that may correspond to you, depending on the type of flight and destination, according to the OCU, are:
- From 250 euros for flights of up to 1,500 kilometres.
- 400 euros if it is an intra-community trip of more than 1,500km, and for other flights of between 1,500 and 3,000km.
- 600 euros in the case of journeys of more than 3,500km.
Other compensation for individual damages could also be requested, although you must prove them.
In addition, if you have suffered a flight delay or cancellation and decide to opt for an alternative route as soon as possible, you may be entitled to the following:
- Reasonable meals and snacks in proportion to waiting time.
- Two phone calls or emails.
- Reasonable hotel accommodation when a stay of one or more nights is necessary.
- Transportation in a reasonable way between the airport and the place of accommodation (hotel or others).
Please note that the above support rights do not apply if you decide to opt for an alternative route at a later convenient date or if you decide to request a refund.
To find out what our rights are, there are calculators that allow us to assess them according to the assumptions that affect us, such as the following OCU calculator: OCU flight compensation calculator
What do I do if Ryanair has cancelled my flight?
In this situation, you have two options:
Refund: In the case of being one of those affected by the cancellations, the passenger can claim a refund of their ticket. Those affected can request it from the airline's website. All refunds will now be credited through your new Ryanair wallet. You can withdraw your refund from the wallet using the original payment method of the reservation, or use the balance in the wallet to pay for new flights.
Free flight change: Those affected by the cancellation of flights may change their flight for another at no cost, and may even choose another airport of origin and destination. In this case, the change will be affected by availability.
