How to cancel a Ryanair flight: step-by-step guide

Key takeaways:

• Ryanair doesn't allow you to cancel flights officially. You can just not show up without a penalty, but you won't get a refund
• You can change your flight up to 2.5 hours before departure. Fees may apply, but there's a 24-hour grace period to make changes for free if you made a mistake.
• Refunds are only available if Ryanair cancels the flight or in special cases like a family member's death. You might get compensation for delays over 3 hours.
• If your flight is delayed by more than 5 hours, you can claim a refund or compensation, unless the delay is due to uncontrollable factors like weather.

Had a change of plans? If you’ve booked a flight with Ryanair and can no longer travel, you might be looking into how to cancel it.

In this guide, we’ll cover all the essential info on how to cancel Ryanair flights, including whether you can get a refund.

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How to cancel a Ryanair flight - is it possible?

Ryanair doesn’t actually give you the option to cancel flights.¹ This means that if you can’t travel at all and no longer want the flight, all you need to do to cancel is not show up at the airport.

You don’t need to notify Ryanair and you won’t be charged a penalty.

If you can’t make your flight, you can change your booking up to 2.5 hours prior to the scheduled departure time.² We’ll look at how to do this shortly.

What to do if you make a mistake when booking Ryanair flights?

If you accidentally book a flight for the wrong date or destination, you don’t have to cancel. If you act fast, you can make changes without having to pay any fees.

Ryanair offers a 24-hour grace period within their cancellation policy where you can change dates and times (and reverse the routing destinations if you accidentally get your airport arrivals and departures the wrong way around) free of charge.²

Will I get a refund for cancelling my Ryanair flight?

Unfortunately, Ryanair does not offer refunds on cancelled flights - except in certain circumstances. These include:¹

• Cancellation of a flight by Ryanair.
• The flight or the scheduled time of departure is delayed more than 5 hours
• Cancellation due to bereavement of an immediate family member (whether or not they were travelling with you).
• Cancellation due to the death of someone due to travel.

In all other situations, you’ll lose the booking fee for your flights if you can’t travel, unless you wish to amend the booking instead.

What’s the Ryanair flight cancellation and refund policy?

If your flight is cancelled by Ryanair, you’ll be notified as soon as possible. According to the Ryanair flight cancellation policy, you can then choose whether to take the rescheduled flight, change your flight to another date for free, or apply for a full refund.³

If you’re the one considering cancelling a flight but don’t want to lose your booking fees, you can change your booking. All Ryanair flights are changeable, even close to the time of departure.

You can change your flight date or route up to 2.5 hours² before you’re due to take off, making changes on the ‘My Bookings’ section of the Ryanair website. Fees and charges may apply depending on the changes you make, and the cost of the new flights.

The only flights that can’t be changed are domestic flights changed to international flights due to taxation rules. You also can’t change details online when you have a multi-person booking or when you need a partial change on your return flight. In these cases, you need to contact Ryanair directly to make the changes.²

Ryanair compensation for delayed flights

If your flight is delayed by more than 5 hours, you may be able to claim a refund. But you may also be able to claim compensation for delays of over 3 hours (if you choose to still take the flight) under the Passenger Rights Regulations.⁴

Ryanair compensation for delayed flights may range from £220 to £520 depending on the distance and destination of your flight.⁴

However, you may not be entitled to this compensation if the delay was caused by reasons outside of the airline’s control, such as adverse weather conditions, medical emergencies or worker strikers.

How to change your Ryanair flight

Here’s how to change rather than cancel your Ryanair flight:²

1. Go to ‘My Bookings’ on the Ryanair website (you can also select ‘My trips’ in the Ryanair mobile app) and login to your account
2. Select ‘Manage this booking’ next to the booking you’d like to change
3. Select ‘Change your flight’ and choose the flight you’d like to change
4. Enter the details of the new flight (date, time and/or route)
5. Review the price breakdown, which may include extra costs
6. If you’re happy and would like to proceed, select ‘Continue’
7. Pay for the fare difference and fees, if applicable
8. Click ‘Pay now’
9. Ryanair will send you an email confirming the updated itinerary for your flight.

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So, you now know how to cancel a Ryanair flight - just don’t turn up! But if you don’t want to lose your money, consider amending your booking to a different date instead, if that fits with your plans.

Sources used for this article:

Sources checked on 23-April-2025