Ryanair Missed Connection Compensation

Policy of Overbooking

One of the most common reasons why passengers miss their connections is due to the widespread practice of overbooking flights. Although each aircraft can only seat a certain number of passengers, Ryanair routinely sells more than that number of tickets. For example, if an aircraft can seat 200 people, the airline may book 220 passengers. The additional number is intended to cover a certain number of “no shows”, and is based upon current trends.

Airline predictions cannot always be accurate, which means that in many cases more passengers will arrive with tickets in hand than what the aircraft can accommodate. When this happens, Ryanair will have no other alternative than to “bump” certain passengers by rescheduling them onto a later flight. These individuals could be eligible for missed connection refunds from Ryanair to compensate them for the inconvenience.

Odds not Known

It is virtually impossible to determine the odds of being bumped from a flight. There are however a few things you can do to reduce the odds of it happening to you. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Avoid peak travel days and times whenever possible
• Check in early, as seats are often filled on a “first come first serve” basis
• Board when your row is called so the airline doesn’t inadvertently give away your seat
• Join the airline’s “frequent flyer” program
• Book a flight as early in the day as possible. People become less likely to volunteer their seats as the day progresses. Few will do so on the last flight of the day because they know they must stay overnight.

Other Reasons for Missed Connections

You could experience a missed connection for other reasons, including:

• A need to make an emergency landing at a different airport
• Unnecessary delays that prevent the originating flight from getting off the ground on time
• Scheduling errors on the part of the airline
• Security concerns that cause air traffic to be rerouted or held up in the air

If you experience any of these unfortunate events, the odds of you making a connecting flight decrease dramatically. While waiting for a new flight, you could encounter additional expenses for meals or even a hotel stay that you were not originally anticipating. If so, you’ll need to apply for Ryanair missed connection compensation to help offset your losses.

Ryanair Missed Connection Refunds

To maintain compliance with EU Rule 261/2004, this airline provides Ryanair missed connection refunds to qualifying passengers. To qualify, you must:

• Have experienced a delay of three hours or more due to circumstances beyond your control within the previous six years
• Have been departing from or flying into an EU airport on an EU carrier
• Not already have been compensated by the airline

Obtaining your Refund

In order to receive missed connection refunds from Ryanair, you should contact the airline directly. The odds of you being able to speak with a representative in person are very low, as ticket counters in most airports are unmanned. This means you must telephone Ryanair’s customer service department for further instructions. When doing so, you can expect long wait times, as there are literally hundreds of people calling in every day to enquire about refunds.

One way to make the process easier is by partnering with us.

Simply fill out the form you see at the top of this page, and we’ll handle everything else.