Ryanair’s €120 late fee

If you’re the type to cut it close at the airport, Ryanair has a harsh new reality check for you. Starting 1 May 2025, the airline will slap latecomers with a hefty €120 fine if they miss their flight and want to jump onto the next one.

The no-frills airline, never one to shy away from tough love, says the move is all about keeping its legendary punctuality intact — and making sure 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 ruin your day — it’ll cost you. Passengers who fail to show up at the gate on time will now be asked to cough up €120 if they want to get rebooked onto another 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 fine isn’t about making money — it’s about discipline.

“If you’re not at 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 a few tardy travellers can cause. A single late passenger can trigger delays that ripple across the entire network, creating headaches not just for the airline but for thousands of other customers down the line.

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

Why Ryanair is introducing a €120 late fee now

Ryanair has always been famously strict when it comes 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 year, sparking delays and frustration.

€120 might sound steep, but from Ryanair’s point of view, it’s about covering the real cost of missed slots, shuffling boarding schedules, and rebooking passengers.

In the airline world, delays don’t just mean angry customers — they mean real money lost.

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

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

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

But not everyone’s convinced. Critics have slammed the fine as ‘punitive’ and ‘greedy’, arguing that airports can be chaotic and delays at security or check-in aren’t always 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 less 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 everything ticking along nicely.

At the end of the day, if you’re flying Ryanair from May onwards, you’d better double-check those boarding times. Or be ready to pay the price.

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