Ryanair delay compensation

senettigirl

On a recent flight from Málaga to Belfast on the 3rd of October 2025, the flight was due to leave at 9.50pm which was delayed until 7.00am on the 4th.  The problem was not due to storm Amy it was due to staff being over their flight hours as was explained by the captain who had told us that the staff were approaching their total flight hours, however they had arrangements had been made for a fresh crew to exchange which the crew at Madrid.  This was explained to add an Extra 50mins on the flight time to Belfast.  However...after the crew then waited another 30-40 mins on the runway allowing the passengers to go to the toilet, they then announced that Dublin had contacted them and deemed that their time was up.  I'll not bore you with the drama of being taken back to the terminal building.  Only to say that the rescheduled flight was at 7.00am on the 4th.  The entire flight or lack off was only made worse by the fact that due to mobility issues I had booked assistance to help with the stairs to and from the aircraft.  However that wasn't given and I was told that I would have to do it myself, as there wasn't any help available to give assistant.  Their assistance compromised of taking my small rucksack on board for me. This caused me pain, embarrassment and injury to myself as I have limited mobility and feeling in my feet and lower legs.   The Ryanair staff consisted of one member of staff not fluent in English who appeared and disappeared at will.  There was no refreshments available on the flight and the actual aircraft had been changed to another type.  I tried to claim compensation, however Ryanair are claiming the delay was due to storm Amy, this was NOT the reason given by the staff, considering that easyJet managed to leave the same airport for Glasgow at 9.30pm on the 3rd on time, I'm annoyed and confused.  What are my options? Really appreciate any and all views, is this a normal experience for Ryanair customers? 

eskbanker

senettigirl said:

The problem was not due to storm Amy it was due to staff being over their flight hours as was explained by the captain who had told us that the staff were approaching their total flight hours

Flight crew going out of hours will generally be a symptom rather than a cause, so eligibility for the fixed-tariff flight delay compensation (under the UK/EU 261 regulations) will depend on the underlying root cause for the original delay that ultimately caused the crew to reach the end of their hours, which could indeed be storm-related and therefore deemed extraordinary circumstances beyond their control.

Lack of booked assistance is a different matter though, but doesn't in itself automatically qualify for financial compensation - not unreasonable to expect some sort of gesture though.

Exodi

eskbanker said:

senettigirl said:

The problem was not due to storm Amy it was due to staff being over their flight hours as was explained by the captain who had told us that the staff were approaching their total flight hours

Flight crew going out of hours will generally be a symptom rather than a cause, so eligibility for the fixed-tariff flight delay compensation (under the UK/EU 261 regulations) will depend on the underlying root cause for the original delay that ultimately caused the crew to reach the end of their hours, which could indeed be storm-related and therefore deemed extraordinary circumstances beyond their control.

This assessment is spot on (saying this as someone who naively pursued this in almost exactly same situation, minus the mobility aspect).

To cut to the point - save yourself a lot of time and anger OP and let this go.

senettigirl

Thanks for your reply, how would I be able to find out the cause? Is it readily available? 

eskbanker

senettigirl said:

Thanks for your reply, how would I be able to find out the cause? Is it readily available? 

There are some industry insiders who post on these boards, with access to data that isn't in the public domain, but unless one of them turns up, you're reliant on the airline explaining the situation.  You could go back and press them for more detail about exactly how the storm affected your flight, and if that doesn't reveal anything useful (and you get their final response), you can escalate your claim to AviationADR, a process which will involve the airline supplying much more narrative about exactly what happened.

bagand96

PRM Assistance is the responsibility of the Airport Operator not the airline - even though you request it with the airline.

Malaga Airport have information about it here https://www.aena.es/en/passengers/travellers/passengers-with-special-needs/barrier-free-assistance-service.html as well as a link to complain. 

bagand96

Looking back at the flight trackers online it would appear that under normal circumstances the aircraft would operate from Belfast on the following pattern

RK8811 Belfast - Malaga 17:00 - 21:10
RK8810 Malaga - Belfast 21:50 - 23:59

However on October 3rd the outbound BFS-AGP flight did not leave Belfast until 01:24 on 4th October. Ryanair likely planned to substitute your flight with a Malaga based aircraft and from what you say hatched a plan to swap crews in Madrid to try and get you home that night.  Crew working hours are restricted for safety reasons.

Storm Amy caused widespread disruption especially in Ireland and Scotland and is well documented. As others have said the crew hours are likely a symptom and the underlying cause was disruption earlier in the day due to the storm. It appears they were trying to keep the flights going.