QUALIFY IT
Three causes, three outcomes
Oversold flight or operational refusal on a confirmed booking with timely check-in: involuntary, compensation owed.
Your client volunteered for an offer: agreed benefits instead of Article 7.
Documentation refusal where the client genuinely lacked valid travel documents: not a compensable denied boarding. Ryanair’s check-in and visa rules generate more of these than most carriers.
THE MONEY
What is it worth?
€250
Under 1,500 km
€400
1,500–3,500 km
€600
Over 3,500 km
Per passenger — payable immediately under Article 4(3).
Full band, no reduction: €250 under 1,500 km, €400 to 3,500 km.
THE PUSHBACK
What Ryanair will say
Expect a documentation or check-in argument even where the real cause was capacity. Boarding-pass and check-in timestamps matter more here than anywhere else in this directory.
If the refusal was capacity-driven, Article 4 leaves no defence at all.
THE EDGE
What’s specific to Ryanair
Ryanair’s documentation and check-in rules produce a high share of refusals that are not compensable — so the first job on a Ryanair bump is establishing which kind it was.
Portal-only submission from the client’s myryanair account applies here too.
No ADR membership: escalation is to the IAA or the CAA via PACT, depending on where the flight departed.
THE PLAY
How do you file it?
Collect the boarding pass, check-in confirmation, and any written reason given at the gate.
Submit through the portal citing Article 4(3) and the distance band.
Escalate to the enforcement body if the refusal rests on an unevidenced documentation claim.
Or forward the booking confirmation to MyAirAdvocate and this claim is prepared for you — flights watched, the denied boarding detected, evidence assembled, deadlines tracked.
See how it works →AGENTS ASK
Questions agents ask
Is an oversold flight ever excusable?
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No. Article 4 has no extraordinary-circumstances defence.
The client was turned away over a passport validity rule — can they claim?
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Not if the documents were genuinely invalid for the route. Check the rule that was applied before filing.
They checked in late — does that end it?
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Timely check-in is a condition of the claim, so the check-in record matters.
Is compensation payable at the airport?
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Article 4(3) says immediately, though in practice a Ryanair claim still goes through the portal.
Do they also get re-routing?
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Yes — Article 8 choice and Article 9 care apply alongside compensation.
General information for travel professionals, not legal advice. Compensation depends on the facts of each disruption and the airline’s evidence. MyAirAdvocate prepares claims; it does not represent passengers and takes no percentage of any compensation.