Ryanair at London Stansted (STN): compensation and your rights
London Stansted is Ryanair's single biggest base anywhere in the world, with dozens of aircraft stationed there and hundreds of departures a day across Europe. When one of those flights is delayed, cancelled or overbooked, your claim runs under UK law and is paid in pounds.
Free eligibility check
Check your case in the form
Enter your route, date and type of disruption. We will check whether your case qualifies for a claim under EU 261/2004 or UK261.
What happened to your flight?
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight.
Choose the situation that applies to your flight:
Short answer: a Ryanair flight departing Stansted falls under UK261, so compensation is fixed at GBP 220, 350 or 520 by distance when you arrive three or more hours late or the flight is cancelled at short notice — unless Ryanair proves a genuine extraordinary circumstance. Complain to Ryanair first, then escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Your return leg from an EU or Irish airport is EU261, in euros.
Why Stansted matters for your claim
Ryanair built its network around Stansted, and the airport handles a huge slice of the airline's total flying. That scale cuts both ways: more routes and frequencies, but also more disruption when weather, ATC restrictions or crewing problems ripple through a base this size — a delay from an early rotation can leave your afternoon departure hours late.
For compensation, the departure airport decides the regime, not the airline's Irish nationality or where you booked. Because Stansted is a UK airport, every Ryanair departure from STN is governed by UK261 — the version of Regulation 261/2004 the UK kept after Brexit. It mirrors the EU rules almost exactly: the same three-hour arrival test, the same extraordinary-circumstances defence, the same case law. What changes is the currency (pounds) and the enforcer (the CAA).
How much UK261 pays at Stansted
Compensation depends on distance to your final destination, not the fare you paid.
| Distance (to final destination) | UK261 amount | Typical Stansted route |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | GBP 220 | Stansted–Dublin, Stansted–Amsterdam |
| 1,500–3,500 km | GBP 350 | Stansted–Rome, Stansted–Faro |
| Over 3,500 km | GBP 520 | Rare — only Ryanair's longest routes |
Because Ryanair is short- and medium-haul, almost every Stansted claim lands in the first two bands: short hops to Ireland and northern Europe at GBP 220, longer runs to Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece at GBP 350. On a route over 3,500 km the amount can be halved to GBP 260 where re-routing keeps your arrival delay short (the Article 7(2) 50% reduction). If Stansted is only a mid-point, the distance to your final destination sets the figure (Folkerts, C-11/11).
When you qualify
The conditions track EU261 closely:
- Delay — you reach your final destination three hours or more late (Sturgeon, C-402/07). The clock runs on arrival, when the doors open, not on departure.
- Cancellation — cancelled with less than 14 days' notice, unless Ryanair re-routes you close to your original times.
- Denied boarding — bumped from an oversold flight against your will after checking in on time.
No compensation is due where a genuine extraordinary circumstance Ryanair could not have avoided caused the disruption — severe weather, ATC restrictions, or a third-party strike. But a routine technical fault is not extraordinary (Wallentin-Hermann, C-549/07; van der Lans, C-257/14), and a strike by Ryanair's own crew is normally not extraordinary either, so those delays are usually payable (Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20). Even during an extraordinary event, the duty to feed and house stranded passengers continues without a cap (McDonagh, C-12/11).
Diversions to nearby airports
Ryanair flights out of Stansted are sometimes diverted to Luton, Southend or Gatwick in bad weather, and a diversion does not change your rights. What counts is the arrival delay at your ticketed final destination: if the diverted flight, plus the transfer Ryanair arranges to the original airport, leaves you three or more hours late, the standard UK261 bands apply. Keep evidence of when you actually reached your booked destination, not just when the aircraft touched down.
Which carrier operated your flight
The operating carrier is the one liable to pay (Wirth, C-532/17). Ryanair Group flights are flown by several entities — Ryanair DAC, Malta Air, Buzz and Lauda — so check which operated your Stansted departure before you claim; it is on your booking and boarding pass.
Baggage is separate
Lost, damaged or delayed bags fall under the Montreal Convention, not UK261 — they are never the GBP 220/350/520 compensation. File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport, report damage within 7 days and delay within 21 days, and note the roughly 1,519 SDR per-passenger cap and two-year time bar.
How to claim from Stansted
Start with Ryanair directly, in writing, quoting your booking reference, flight number and the real arrival delay. Ryanair rejects a large share of first claims — often with a blanket "extraordinary circumstances" line — so calm, evidenced push-back matters. If it refuses or goes quiet, escalate to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and its Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT); in England and Wales you generally have six years to sue.
Let ClaimWinger handle it
ClaimWinger works on a no-win, no-fee basis: no upfront cost, and a commission only if your claim succeeds. Ryanair runs a public "beware of claims chasers" campaign, but your right exists whoever helps you pursue it, and no-win-no-fee help is entirely legitimate. Start with our Ryanair compensation hub, the how-to-claim guide, or the Ryanair UK flights UK261 guide. Check a disrupted flight at /delayed-flight or a scrapped one at /cancelled-flight.
FAQ — Frequently asked questions
Is my Ryanair flight from Stansted EU261 or UK261?
UK261. Stansted is a UK airport, so the retained regulation applies and you claim in pounds (GBP 220 / 350 / 520), even though Ryanair is an Irish airline.
How much for a delayed Stansted–Dublin flight?
It is a short hop well under 1,500 km, so GBP 220 if you arrive three or more hours late and no extraordinary circumstance applies. The Dublin–Stansted return departs an EU airport, so that leg is EU261 in euros.
My Stansted flight was diverted to Luton — can I still claim?
Yes. A diversion does not remove your rights. What matters is the delay reaching your ticketed final destination; if that is three hours or more, the normal UK261 bands apply.
Does a Ryanair crew strike block my claim?
Generally no. A strike by Ryanair's own crew is not extraordinary (Airhelp v SAS, C-28/20), so the delay is usually still payable; a national ATC or airport strike may be treated differently.
Sources
This guide reflects the legal position in 2026. UK261 uses a three-hour arrival-delay threshold and GBP 220 / 350 / 520 amounts; EU261 uses EUR 250 / 400 / 600. A proposed EU261 reform — longer delay thresholds, a nine-month claim window and a 30-day airline response deadline — is a proposal, not yet in force. This is general information, not legal advice.