Ryanair passengers left 'out of pocket' after airline mistakenly told customers their flights were cancelled

Ryanair passengers have been left out of pocket after being mistakenly told their flights were cancelled.

A number of holidaymakers reported receiving an email from the airline on Thursday night about flights being cancelled – which were sent out in error.

Flights to and from Scotland were among those affected at airports such as Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Ryanair gave customers the option to refund the supposedly cancelled flight or change the departure and arrival airport for free.

The airline said the flight was cancelled due to “commercial reasons” with a number of journeys in February initially said to be affected.

Ryanair passengers receive cancellation email in error STV News

Customers were then informed on Friday they were incorrectly advised of cancellations and that the process of reinstating flights would begin.

The error email read: “Your flight has been cancelled due to commercial reasons. If you’re travelling with others, please inform them of this cancellation.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“As detailed below, you can avail of re-routing to your destination and reasonable care, or a full refund of the cost of your ticket. You can change to alternative flights online, free of charge.”

However on Friday, Ryanair issued a new email urging passengers to “disregard” the previous message and that their flight is still scheduled to operate.

It read: “Please note an email was sent you regarding the cancellation of your flight in error, please disregard this email as your flight is scheduled to operate.

“We apologise for the recent error and for any inconvenience it caused, please find below your flight details.”

However passengers who scrambled to rebook flights with alternative airlines after receiving the initial error message are now complaining they have been left out of pocket as a result.

One wrote on X: “Got an email to say Ryanair had cancelled flight. Booked a new flight with Aer Lingus immediately.

“Now we’ve been told the flight isn’t actually cancelled and we can’t apply for a refund because the flight has been reinstated. So now €300 out of pocket.”

Ryanair has been contacted for further comment.