New Ryanair rule: miss your flight, pay a €120 fantastic

If you’re the kind to chop it close on the airport, Ryanair has a harsh latest reality check for you. Starting 1 May 2025, the airline will slap latecomers with a hefty €120 fantastic in the event that they miss their flight and wish to leap onto the subsequent one.

The no-frills airline, never one to draw back from tough love, says the move is all about keeping its legendary punctuality intact — and ensuring passengers take boarding times seriously.

Ryanair late fee: miss your flight and pay €120

From next month, missing your flight with Ryanair won’t just break your day — it’ll cost you. Passengers who fail to indicate up on the gate on time will now be asked to cough up €120 in the event that they wish to get rebooked onto one other service.

The rule applies across the board: national or international flights, bargain-basement promotional tickets or not. No exceptions, no sympathy.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary made it clear that the fantastic isn’t about being profitable — it’s about discipline.
“If you’re not on the gate on time, you’re holding up everyone else,” he said bluntly. “We need passengers to respect the schedule — it’s non-negotiable.”

Airlines have long battled the chaos that just a few tardy travellers may cause. A single late passenger can trigger delays that ripple across the whole network, creating headaches not only for the airline but for 1000’s of other customers down the road.

And for Ryanair, which prides itself on being considered one of Europe’s most punctual carriers, that’s simply not acceptable.

Why Ryanair is introducing a €120 late fee now

Ryanair has all the time been famously strict with regards to timings — the plane door closes 20 minutes before departure, whether you’re there or not. But insiders say the airline has seen a spike in ‘last-minute gate arrivals’ over the past 12 months, sparking delays and frustration.

€120 might sound steep, but from Ryanair’s standpoint, it’s about covering the true cost of missed slots, shuffling boarding schedules, and rebooking passengers.
In the airline world, delays don’t just mean offended customers — they mean real money lost.

Industry experts say the move could even set a precedent. Other low-cost airlines might be watching to see if Ryanair’s tough stance pays off — or if it backfires spectacularly.

Ryanair €120 late fee: common sense or unfair money grab?

The response from travellers has been… let’s say, divided. Some frequent flyers are fully behind the move. “You know the principles. If you’re late, it’s best to pay,” said Marta López, a sales executive in Valencia. “It’s not fair to delay a complete plane because one person can’t plan properly.”

But not everyone’s convinced. Critics have slammed the fantastic as ‘punitive’ and ‘greedy’, arguing that airports might be chaotic and delays at security or check-in aren’t all the time a passenger’s fault.

“I’ve had times where I sprinted to the gate because security queues were insane,” said Oliver James, a university student in London. “Penalising people €120 on top of missing your flight feels brutal.”

Travel groups have also warned that families, elderly passengers and fewer experienced travellers could get caught out, particularly at unfamiliar or confusing airports.

Still, Ryanair is unlikely to budge. The airline has built its brand on hard rules and low fares — and it clearly believes that clear-cut penalties will keep all the pieces ticking along nicely.

At the tip of the day, for those who’re flying Ryanair from May onwards, you’d higher double-check those boarding times. Or be able to pay the value.

Stay tuned with Euro weekly news for the newest news about Travel