Ryanair passengers left 'furious' over cancellations

Ryanair has come under increasing pressure over its handling of flight cancelations which have disrupted the travel plans of 400,000 people.

The flight operator had initially cancelled 18,000 flights.

Ryanair has also said it will co-operate with the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure passengers are aware of their rights.

Kerry McAuley and her family from Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, had looked forward to a welcome break in London in February this year and had flights booked with Ryanair.

However, the day before the flight son Shea was taken seriously ill at school and rushed to hospital. Thankfully, he made a recovery but it meant the holiday, including a visit to Legoland in Windsor, did not go ahead.

"Ryanair gave me a flight credit and I booked flights to London for February 2018, which have now been cancelled," said Mrs McAuley.

"Ryanair have just given me another flight credit, again to be used to book flights within six months.

"This is no use to me whatsoever and I am disgusted by their attitude".

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John Carey planned to travel to Belfast to spend Christmas with his family, after moving to London a year ago, and was quick to act when he found out his flight had been cancelled.

"I booked the cheapest flight I could from Southend to Dublin," he said. "The trip will take much longer and is cutting time off my holiday at home."

He is "furious" Ryanair failed to inform him they were obliged to rebook him on an alternative airline.

"I am unlikely to be able to recoup the difference in price. I certainly won't be able to recoup the lost time at home."

Sean Grant from Belfast regularly visits London with his wife to attend Tottenham Hotspur matches.

"We go three or four times a year, and were really looking forward to the Spurs versus Real Madrid game at Wembley on 1 November," he said.

Mr Grant booked tickets with a different airline when he found out his Ryanair flight had been cancelled.

"The cost of the new tickets is more than the total cost of the trip originally.

"This is a big match for Spurs, but because of the extra cost, I am not sure we will enjoy it as much."

Kevin Pendleton is travelling from Edinburgh to London Stansted for a connecting flight to Frankfurt to see a friend, but is annoyed because "Ryanair haven't been very clear with what that are doing about cancelled flights."

He booked alternative flights with EasyJet. However, he is concerned he now has less time to make his connection. "We will be cutting it fine," he said.

"I am still going to go and enjoy the weekend. You can't let these things ruin your trip."

Hugh Addison was looking forward to a trip to Lisbon when his flight from London Stansted was cancelled with two days' notice.

Mr Addison says he was told by Ryanair he "could either claim a refund or choose another Ryanair flight."

He claimed a refund, and booked an alternative flight with TAP Air Portugal.

"This flight cost over double that of the cancelled one and we also lost a prepaid night's hotel accommodation.

"Ryanair have been a total nightmare to deal with."

Colin Steele lives in Edinburgh and works in London during the week.

"I've been using Ryanair for around a year."

When his flight for 31 October was cancelled, Mr Steel tried to rebook for another day, however "it became apparent that the entire schedule was cancelled until March 2018."

"I intend to seek compensation but so far have only received a a £40 travel voucher."

Interviews and written by BBC's UGC and Social News team