What to do if your flight is cancelled? Rights explained amid Heathrow and Gatwick airport chaosWhat rights do passengers have to claim compensation amid the lengthy delays and cancellations?
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Tom Place, News Reporter2 minutes ago
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Hundreds more flights at London airports have been cancelled on Wednesday, a day after an air traffic control systems collapse sparked travel chaos.
More than 200 flights were showing as cancelled at Heathrow early in the morning, with a smaller number at Gatwick also impacted.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which provides air traffic control services across the country, said the issue was with its “flight processing system”.
While the problem has been fixed, experts say the knock-on disruption to airline schedules will last for several days.
But amid the chaos, what rights do passengers have to claim compensation – and when can they expect to arrive at their intended destination?
What if my flight is delayed?
According to ABTA (The Association of British Travel Agents), If your flight is delayed by under two hours, you have no rights – unless a short delay in the UK results in a missed connection and much later arrival at your final destination.
For longer delays, airlines should provide refreshments as appropriate after a specified length of time, regardless of the cause of the delay.
For flights up to 1,500km, refreshments should be given after two hours, while mid-haul passengers (1,500 to 3,500km) are entitled after three hours. For longer trips, it is four hours.
Airlines will often issue vouchers. If they don’t, keep your receipts. Purchases considered “luxury” such as alcohol or luxury hotels are unlikely to be covered.
If the airline believes that providing the care would further delay the flight, it need not deliver.
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For overnight delays, airlines are obliged to find and pay for a hotel room.
Passengers at Heathrow Airport during disruption after a system issue hit NATSPA
Carriers often invite passengers to book their own and reclaim later. While not fully compliant with the rules, aviation authorities usually turn a blind eye.
If your delay exceeds five hours, your airline must offer you the choice of taking a refund of the flight cost.
Regarding compensation, this will depend on what caused the delay.
If it wasn’t the airline’s fault, such as with Tuesday’s air traffic control systems failure, you won’t be entitled to receive any compensation.
If you reach your final destination three hours or more after the original arrival time, and it wasn’t due to extraordinary circumstances, then you’re generally entitled to compensation, awarded in pounds or euros depending on where your flight was due to depart from.
This would be £220 for flights of up to 1,500 km, £350 for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and £260 for all other flights (increased to £520 if the delay is longer than 4 hours).
Regarding package holidays, you benefit from all the above rights as well as additional protection for the rest of your holiday.
If the delay leads to your holiday being cancelled, or new arrangements are made that result in a significant change to your holiday, then your travel company must offer an alternative holiday if they can, or a refund of the full package price, not just the flight part.
Generally, a change of more than 12 hours on a 14-night holiday is considered a significant change.
What if my flight is cancelled?
According to ABTA, passengers have “significant rights in relation to replacement flights, refunds and general customer care”.
If a flight is cancelled for a departure from the UK, or for a journey to the UK with a UK airline, then the airline must offer passengers the choice of a replacement flight at the earliest opportunity or a refund. The alternative flight can be on a different airline.
If you were at the airport when your flight was cancelled, and you’ve chosen rerouting, you’re also entitled to care and assistance while you wait to be rerouted.
This usually means food, drink, plus accommodation and the necessary transfers if the replacement flight departs the next day or later.
Your airline may advise you to make alternative travel arrangements, and then claim back the cost later. If you do this, again, keep receipts noting that costs should be reasonable and alcohol will not be included.
Passengers wait at Gatwick AirportPA
If your airline offers a flight to an alternative arrival airport, they must bear the cost of transferring you to the original airport or to another close-by destination agreed with you.
If you choose a refund, you can get your money back for all parts of the ticket you haven’t used.
For instance, if you’ve booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.
Regarding compensation, this will depend on what caused the delay.
If it wasn’t the airline’s fault, such as with Tuesday’s air traffic control systems failure, you won’t be entitled to receive any compensation.
If the airline gave you more than 14 days’ notice of the cancellation, they are not obliged to pay you compensation.
If you received less than 14 days’ notice of the cancellation, then you’re generally entitled to compensation, awarded in pounds or euros depending on where your flight was due to depart from.
This would be £220 for flights of up to 1,500 km, £350 for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km, and £520 for all other flights.
Regarding package holidays, you benefit from all the above rights as well as additional rights regarding the rest of your holiday.
Normally your travel company will contact you in advance to re-arrange your flights, however, if you’re at the airport when the flight is cancelled you should contact your travel company to talk through your options.
If your flight can’t be rearranged and your holiday has to be cancelled, or new arrangements are made that result in a significant change to your holiday, then the travel company must offer an alternative holiday if they can, or a refund of the full package price, not just the flight part.
Generally, a change of more than 12 hours on a 14-night holiday is considered a significant change.
What if I’m travelling back to the UK?
Passengers flying back to the UK with a non-UK airline will need to check the terms and conditions of their booking to see what they’re entitled to.
UK consumer laws apply to passengers on flights departing from an airport in the UK (on any airline), flights arriving at an airport in the UK (on an EU or UK airline) and flights arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline.
They do not cover flights arriving in the UK on a non-EU or UK airline.
Grant Winter, compliance officer at specialist travel insurance provider, Good to go, said: “When you book flights with an airline, you’re essentially entering a contract that means they are required to get you to a certain destination, at an agreed time.
“If they’re unable to follow through with their end, they have a legal duty under UK law, to offer you a full refund or provide an alternative flight.”
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