If you travel a lot, be it for business or holiday, at some time or another you will no doubt have experienced your flight being delayed or even cancelled. That unfortunately is one of the joys of travel today and overcrowded skies and airports, particularly at this time of the year when many of us fly off on our annual family summer holidays to Europe and beyond.
Flying is stressful at the best of times what with having to arrive at the airport a couple of hours before your flight is scheduled to depart. You then have to battle the long queues at security as less experienced travellers try to work out at the last minute what they can and cannot pack in their carry-on luggage, much to the frustration of frequent fliers who have their laptops, tablets, 100ml liquid bags and belts ready to put in the trays.
Thinking that the worst is over, having cleared security, you visit the Duty Free shops or make your way to the comparative tranquillity of the lounge before boarding your flight. Suddenly you see on the departure board that your flight is delayed for one reason or another or worse still, it has been cancelled and your heart sinks, particularly if you have the family in tow.
What do you do now?
Your rights to compensation
The majority of people who travel infrequently are probably unaware of their rights. For example, if you do have the misfortune of finding that your flight has been cancelled, you may well be entitled to compensation of up to £520 under UK and EU regulations. The amount of compensation will very much depend on where you are flying to and how much notice you got of the cancellation. This also applies if your flight has been cancelled less than 14 days before you are due to depart and have not even made it to the airport.
However, this needn’t be a minefield as there are companies who can help you navigate your way through all the airline’s small print. One such company is AirHelp, who will be able to check whether you are eligible for compensation as a result of any cancelled flights. They even have a helpful, free compensation calculator you can use on their website to see if you qualify.
It is worth bearing in mind though that compensation is not guaranteed as airlines are not required to compensate passengers in situations beyond their control. For example, the recent power outage at London Heathrow in March caused by a fire at the North Hyde Substation which supplies electricity to the Heathrow. This resulted in the entire airport shutting down for 16 hours and the cancellation of over 1,000 flights with thousands of passengers affected right across the world.
Other situations may include things like bird strikes, medical emergencies, security risks, severe weather conditions and even natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions. You may remember the disruption caused following the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruptions in Iceland when volcanic ash caused the largest air-traffic shutdown since World War II. Millions of passengers found themselves stranded not only in Europe but also in other parts of the world when over 95,000 flights were cancelled during the six-day northern Europe airspace closure while the path of the volcanic ash cloud was tracked.
However, if you are unsure, AirHelp will be able to advise you whether you are eligible for any compensation due to a cancelled flight for whatever reason.
Build flexibility into your travel plans
Frequent travellers are often able to build a degree of flexibility into their travel plans so that flight delays and even cancellations can be worked around. So, if you are able to prepare for the worst case scenario, at least you have a Plan B. For example, if you have an important meeting in Paris or Amsterdam you might be able to head to St Pancras station and jump on a Eurostar train.
If, however, your flight is only delayed rather than cancelled, then it’s worth checking what your airline’s obligations are. If it is delayed long enough, the airline will need to give you food and drink, access to phone calls and email and if it’s an overnight delay, accommodation at a nearby hotel as well as transport between the hotel and the airport. You might also get given some vouchers so you can buy things at the airport. If they don’t, make sure you keep any receipts for expenses so that you can claim from the airline later. But do bear in mind that they will only pay for reasonable expenses, so don’t go crazy on buying lots of alcohol, expensive meals or a stay in a 5-star hotel.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
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