Ryanair flight compensation, when it exists, comes from EU or UK law, not from a Ryanair tariff that pays more or less than Iberia or Lufthansa. If the flight departs an EU or UK airport and you arrive three hours late or more for a reason the airline is responsible for, the bands are €250, €400, or €600, or the UK equivalents in pounds. A cheap fare does not reduce them. This article does not say Ryanair refuses claims, delays more than other airlines, or owes anyone for a specific flight. It says when the regulation can apply.
When a Ryanair flight is inside the rule
Ryanair is an EU airline with a large UK operation. Departures from EU airports fall under EC 261/2004. Departures from UK airports fall under the UK version described by the CAA. A Ryanair flight that starts outside Europe and is not arriving as a covered UK or EU carrier is a different case. Read the first departure airport on the ticket.
The same sentences are true of easyJet, Wizz Air, Vueling, and a full-service airline. Writing "Ryanair" in a search box does not create a separate legal regime. People search the airline name because that is the logo on the boarding pass.
What still has to be true
- Arrival at the final destination on that ticket was three hours late or more, or you were denied boarding, or the flight was cancelled inside 14 days and the reroute was not close enough to the original times.
- The cause was not an extraordinary circumstance such as severe weather or an air-traffic restriction.
- You are claiming the fixed sum, which is separate from a refund of the fare and from a meal voucher.
Extraordinary circumstances are a real defence for every airline, including this one. A storm is not converted into a payable delay by the colour of the aircraft.
Ryanair cancelled and offered a voucher. Is that the compensation?
Not automatically. A refund or a replacement seat is the first right. The fixed sum, if notice was short and the reroute was late, is additional. Read anything that says the voucher ends the matter.