Originally Posted by
somabc
Hey guys - Ryanair cancellation question again.
I had a 6am flight from Edinburgh to Tallin booked with Ryanair and they cancelled it at 11pm the night before. They offered a refund or re-routing. I looked online and booked an alternative flight on Lufthansa, Edinburgh -> Frankfurt -> Tallin for the same day as the original flight. The original flight was £14 and the new flight was £250. Obviously I'd like Ryanair to pay me for the second flight instead of a refund. Do you think they will accept that and how should I pursue it?
The issue of rebooking yourself on to another airline has not been tested by CJEU under EC261/2004, the relevant regulation for this area. There is wording in the regulation that suggests it is the intent, there are people in this forum who will tell you it definitely applies, the CAA has in the past said it is reasonable to do this if the alternative on the originating airline would result in a delay greater than 24 hours. So your best bet is to claim it in writing from Ryanair. If they don't pay then you can then try complaining to the CAA (Ryanair no longer has a dispute resolution process), then you would be down to using the Small Claim system against Ryanair. Which is as much hassle as that implies.