We booked Ryanair 3 months ago for our family trip from ATH to Santorini next March. I recently notice they moved my flight more than 3 hours earlier(of course without notice). Since we will fly from US to AThens on separate ticket, we won't be at Athens airport earlier enough to catch the flight with the earlier departure time any more. There is no later Ryanair flight that night to JTR. Seems my option is either get a refund and book Aagean myself for that night or rebook with Ryanair for next day. Now the only late night flight (Aegean) is 3 times as expensive as I would have booked 3 months ago($460 instead of $150), will Ryanair reimburse the difference if I choose to refund with Ryanair and book with Olympic myself? I wasn't really familiar with EU airline operators, and wished I knew Ryanair's reputation better 3 months ago.

The next day Ryanair flight is cheaper than what we have paid(maybe $80), and I was told if we choose rebooking for the next day, Ryanair won't pay me back the difference either. I guess I could request refund, and rebook the next day Ryanair myself. But in that case, will Ryanair reimburse my hotel close to airport for the night? My santorini hotel is all prepaid, and no way to rebook,

Thanks ahead for any suggestions or sharing of experience.

You will not get any money out of Ryanair. They are not know for there generosity
You are aware with you a lot of time (~3 months)
I hope you are fully aware of your Rynair air ticket t&c's, practices and do not expect it to be like a USA airline (~luggage & carry on included)

While on the BA forum this thread gives a guide to EC261 / 2004 https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/brit...61-2004-a.html

AA thread (with wiki) but less useful https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/amer...er-thread.html

I suspect the answers are No, no, and no.

The separate ticket is none of Ryanairs concern.....had it been me I would have built in an overnight before the second flight, regardless of who that second flight was with... and most certainly if it was Ryanair.

If their legal liability is a refund, and with 3 months notice of the change that may well be, that's all you'll get.

Thanks for the inputs. I guess it's hard and not fun to predict the unknown...

Just refund (if they are allowing you to do so) and then rebook separately.

There is no question of them paying for a hotel for you - they are more than happy to transport you on the date agreed, so there is no question of you requiring an extra overnight stay as far as they are concerned.

These are the things you should always look out for when booking with separate tickets. You should be aware that schedules can and do change, and all the more so when you are dealing with a ticket on a low-frequency route, then you should factor in extra wiggle space for events like this - or just book your complete itinerary on a single ticket.

These are the risks of booking separate tickets. Prior to 14 days, all you are owed is a rebooking or a refund and you certainly have that. As the next day's flights are cheaper, if you take that option, request a refund of your current tickets and purchase the new tickets. If you elect not to overnight, take the refund and purchase the new OA tickets.

While unlikely, it is worth carefully reviewing your travel insurance policy to determine whether its travel interruption provisions cover this situation across tickets. There is a slight chance, so worth the effort.