Ryanair changed my flight times and they don't suit me

[Odea]

That is a dramatic change to both flights and we’re all very unhappy.

Flights to Nice for this November have been culled also. Most midweek flights disappeared. So it's not just the flights beyond 3 months time where this is happening.

Ryanair changed my flight times to two different locations this year. Like yourself the change was dramatic. We ended up having to use taxis for transfers and also staying an extra night in one location. We lost time and we lost money....I reckon nearly €300 between the two holidays.

If you are flying to Faro or Lisbon....Aer Lingus also have flights available. Have a look at TAP also.

 

[elcato]

You're booking for next July so hoping for a better deal by booking early. Dem's are da risks, I'm afraid. Chances are they'll change again in the meantime. If you want to avoid this then book nearer the date.

 

[mountainman]

You're booking for next July so hoping for a better deal by booking early. Dem's are da risks, I'm afraid. Chances are they'll change again in the meantime. If you want to avoid this then book nearer the date.

Flight prices increase closer to the time, in general. These had already gone up since we booked. Either way, it doesn’t make such a big change any less annoying.

 

[joer]

Flight prices increase closer to the time, in general. These had already gone up since we booked. Either way, it doesn’t make such a big change any less annoying.

Our RyanAir flight was changed a few times for this November. We got our refund back recently and got flights with Aer Lingus, in the sale, cheaper. Because we had to change our hotel also a few times it was a little dearer. So swings and roundabouts but we expect things like this to happen from time to time...

 

[Jimmy2045]

I see this thread has been going for 1 year now. Has anyone managed to escalate their complaint further? I can’t quite think of another industry this type of practice is acceptable other than maybe the gambling industry…! It’s unbelievable there are not more consumer protection laws around flight cancellations.

I’ve found myself in the same situation as many on this thread. Bought an expensive 09:20 AM flight for €240 it’s now been changed to 19:20 pm however, it’s not been “confirmed" even though they are selling the flight online at the new 19:20 time and have updated the flight time in the “my booking” section. They have now replaced the 09:20AM flight with a 10:20 AM flight with a completely different flight number. But pushed the 09:20 AM flight number 10 hours ahead to 19:20, that in my eyes is not a minor reschedule but rather a cancellation and a completely different flight.

The original evening flight was advertised for €119 but as I needed to attend an evening event on the day I fly I opted to pay for the most expensive flight being advertised on that day. I’m now essentially being punished for this; Ryanair rescheduled my flight by 10 hours and keep the price of the premium flight I paid for without returning the difference to me.

It sounds at the very least Ryanair are openly deceiving customers and then refusing to pay refunds until the flight rescheduling is confirmed. I don't know what their definition of 'confirmed' is but all evidence points to the fact Ryanair have reason to believe the original 09:20 am flight will not be going ahead as advertised but their exploiting their powerful position to delay paying a refund. By that time when the customer receives the official confirmation the alternative flight options for the customer have materially increased so Ryanair benefit from maximising revenues.

 

[Odea]

They have now replaced the 09:20AM flight with a 10:20 AM flight with a completely different flight number.

So your flight has been bumped to 10 hours earlier but you have not received a confirmation of this....as a result you cannot cancel and ask for a refund. However they have introduced a new flight one hour later than the original flight which you cannot change to, because you cannot cancel the original.

Same thing happened to me twice earlier this year. Different flights, different destinations. Cost myself and my wife a few hundred Euro as a result plus a lot of inconvenience.

I have already planned two destinations for 2025....in the past I would have booked early.....I will no longer do this because I can nearly guarantee that the flight times will be changed between then and now....

 

[Laramie]

Ryanair have already started cancelling flights for 2025 it seems.

I have been tracking flights to Lisbon for March 2025 for some time.

This morning I logged in to see if there were any changes to prices etc. only to discover that all outgoing flights up to the 8th March have disappeared and all returning flights to Dublin have disappeared up to the 17th March.

Thankfully I didn't go ahead and book hotels.

Be careful when booking early.

 

[Bronco Lane]

2025.......and we are off. I had planned booking a flight that was to return from my destination at 3 p.m next June. Once bitten twice shy, so I delayed the booking. I went in to check today and Ryanair have re-scheduled the 3.pm. flight to 9.55 a.m

 

[Bronco Lane]

Here we go again.

As the OP of this thread you would think that I would learn my lesson. Once bitten twice shy.

I decided to book flights for April 2026 to Faro. Sorted. Today I just got an email to say that my outward flight had been re-scheduled by 6 hours and my inward flight by 1 hour.

Hotels recently booked also.

I have just spent the last hour trying to re -schedule these Ryanair flights and contacting the hotel to extend our stay.

Looking through Ryanair's schedule for Faro for 2026 I see that they have cancelled multiple flights every day to Faro for 2026.

No doubt they will probably re-instate them in the new year.

I am already trying to claim for a delayed flight that I recently took with them and they are completely ignoring me.

It ain't easy dealing with this company.

 

[Roro999]

I was a fan of Ryanair's low fares up to recently.
Now I try my best to avoid flying with them.

 

[Bronco Lane]

No doubt they will probably re-instate them in the new year.

It gets better.

They advised me yesterday that my flight to Faro was being re-scheduled by 6 hours. I had a choice to cancel and seek a full refund, take the new flight time or re-schedule to a flight within 3 days of my original flight.

I decided to re-schedule and travel a day earlier.

This morning I check the flights again and I see that they have re-instated the original flight that they cancelled but with a 20 minute time change. Why did they tell me yesterday that the flight was cancelled if they were going to re-instate it within 48 hours? They could have just told me of a flight time change of 20 minutes.

To add insult to injury. I had paid €80 for the original flight. The one that was cancelled yesterday. The replacement flight that they introduced to day is for sale at €60.

Maybe I should have just cancelled yesterday, got my money back and bought the new flight. I would have saved myself and my wife €20 each.

Incidentally, I notice this morning that they are doing the exact same thing to flights to Palma. So if you have booked these and they cancelled your flight....hold fire.....they will most likely re-instate them over the next few days......and possibly at a lower price.

 

[ClubMan]

Why did they tell me yesterday that the flight was cancelled

I thought that your original flight was rescheduled not cancelled?

I decided to book flights for April 2026 to Faro. Sorted. Today I just got an email to say that my outward flight had been re-scheduled by 6 hours and my inward flight by 1 hour.

They advised me yesterday that my flight to Faro was being re-scheduled by 6 hours.

 

[Dr Strangelove]

I decided to book flights for April 2026 to Faro.

I never find that there is never huge value from far advance booking. About three months out is the sweet spot.

Airlines know that diligent future planners such as yourself have a higher willingness to pay and greater tolerance for being messed around with flight times.

 

[Bronco Lane]

I thought that your original flight was rescheduled not cancelled?

It was cancelled, it was shown on their system as "sold out" but I was advised that it was re-scheduled to later in the day. Both terminologies were used. ClubMan, if it makes it easier for you, you could replace the word "cancelled" with the word "re-scheduled" in my post above.

Airlines know that diligent future planners such as yourself have a higher willingness to pay and greater tolerance for being messed around with flight times.

Yes I agree. I mix and match. I do both. Some I book early and some I wait to within 6 weeks of the travel date. But with flights to busy airports such as Faro I cannot take the chance. In my case the hotel I was after was having an early booking offer with a good discount and the type of room that I was after might be gone if I left it later.

I have booked an outward flight to Majorca in the Aer Lingus sale, recently ended. I have not purchased the return portion yet but I will most likely fly back with Ryanair. Ryanair have already reduced the return price by €10 and then by another €10.....I think there might be another €10 drop to come.

Then there is always the "Black Friday" sales to factor in. I asked a hotel in France if they were likely to further reduce their room prices in this year's Black Friday sale and I was advised to buy now at the "flexible" price with allowed cancellations. Then if the price dropped below the current price in their Black Friday sale I could cancel the original booking and buy at the new price in the sale.

Sometimes it is not worth all the planning though. But as I travel a lot it has saved me a decent chunk of change in the past being a "diligent future planner".

 

[ClubMan]

ClubMan, if it makes it easier for you, you could replace the word "cancelled" with the word "re-scheduled" in my post above.

You only used the term rescheduled originally. The difference between rescheduling and cancellation may be important if it comes to compensation and consumer rights. It's not simply a pedantic terminological issue.

 

[Bronte]

It's not advisable to book any hotel that is not cancellable, I generally use booking.com as it's so easy.

Ryanair and other airlines generally change their schedules at a minimum twice a year, normally November and April. When they are in the middle of changing schedules it's best not to take too much notice as their computer people are sorting it out back and forth and can be doing all sorts of things. So there are glitches for maybe 48 hours. I'd say that's what happened to Bronco. Like him I will not take flights at ungodly hours. And all visitors here are told not to arrive anytime before 10 am or after 9 pm. The benefits of children driving means this summer they have been dropping each other off or collecting at hellish hours like 6 am or midnight. Karma for all those years myself and OH did it ..........

 

[Odea]

I generally use booking.com as it's so easy.

I only use them for comparison purposes with the hotel's own website. Quite often Bookings have better photographs, good map, but I generally get a better price booking direct with the Hotel's website.

 

[Odea]

They advised me yesterday that my flight to Faro was being re-scheduled by 6 hours

It seems very unfair of Ryanair to re-schedule a flight by 6 hours then notify people about this giving them an option to re-schedule, cancel or find a new flight. Then after people have done this.....create a new flight in the same slot as the original flight.....why not give the people who have booked the first flight an option to take the new flight?

You only used the term rescheduled originally. The difference between rescheduling and cancellation may be important if it comes to compensation and consumer rights. It's not simply a pedantic terminological issue.

It looks as if the original flight was both re-scheduled and then cancelled, because it was replaced with a new flight. I wonder if there is a case for compensation here?

 

[Bronte]

There is not a hope in hell of compensation for flights nearly a year off. If there was none of us would be able to fly anywhere as Ryanair would be out of business.

 

[Bronco Lane]

It seems very unfair of Ryanair to re-schedule a flight by 6 hours then notify people about this giving them an option to re-schedule, cancel or find a new flight. Then after people have done this.....create a new flight in the same slot as the original flight.....why not give the people who have booked the first flight an option to take the new flight?

I have contacted the Irish Aviation Authority to see if they have a view on Ryanair cancelling/re-scheduling a flight and later creating a new flight in the slot where the original flight was......but not offering this flight to the original passengers that they inconvenienced.