‘Keep all your receipts’ – Commission for Aviation Regulation’s passenger advice

Speaking on Newstalk Ms Mannion said that the Commission was currently dealing with 200 to 300 cases a week in respect of claims arising from the Ryanair cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Ryanair cancelled 2,100 flights over a six-week period this autumn due to a “rostering failure”, a move for which it has sincerely apologised.

Over the last week, it has “re-accommodated or refunded” over 97pc of the 315,000 customers whose flights were cancelled, it says.

Read more: In full: 34 suspended Ryanair routes

Only customers whose flights were scheduled up to October 2 can claim compensation, however – as passengers receiving more than two weeks notice of a flight cancellation are not entitled to compensation under EC261.

Provided, of course, that the airline offers full re-routing or refund options.

In addition to claiming compensation for a missed flight, passengers can claim for care and assistance that they required (within reason).

Financial compensation depends on the flight length and the reason for the cancellation. It ranges from €250 (short-haul, less than 1,500km) to €600 (long-haul, over 3,500km).

Ms Mannion stressed that the €40 flight voucher being offered by Ryanair to 315,000 passengers affected by its flight cancellations fiasco was not compensation,

“Ryanair has chosen to give this…The voucher is separate to the compensation, it won’t affect your entitlement to compensation,” Ms Mannion said.

Commenting on the fact that the voucher is only valid between October and March 2018 and cannot be used during the Christmas travel period, Ms Massion said that the airline was entitled to do this.