Refunds and compensation: Everything you are entitled to if your flight is delayed or cancelled

05.09.2023 - 07:39 / euronews.com / Charlotte Elton / Airlines

Flight cancellations and delays happen frequently and for lots of different reasons - strikes, technical failures, bad weather, crews out of place...it's a long list.

But whatever the reason, your airline has a ‘duty of care’. Here’s what that means and what you can claim.

When flights are cancelled, passengers are often entitled to financial compensation - but the air traffic control fault falls under ‘extraordinary circumstances’.

This means airlines are not responsible for the disruption, and you won’t be due any compensation if your flight is cancelled or delayed.

However, airlines still owe you a ‘duty of care.’ If your flight is cancelled, you have the right to choose between a refund or an alternative flight.

If you choose the latter option - or your flight is delayed - the airline must provide you with the following while you wait at the airport:

The airline needs to supply you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it.

“If you are still waiting to come home, airlines have a responsibility to look after you while you wait,” explains Rob Bishton, Joint-Interim Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

“This means providing you with meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation. If airlines cannot do this, you can organise your own meals and accommodation then claim costs back.”

EasyJet, for instance, issued delayed travellers with food and drink vouchers worth €9 after they had been waiting for three hours.

Before you launch into booking a hotel, make yourself known to an airline representative as they may offer you accommodation. Alternatively, if you are provided with vouchers from the airline, you’ll have a clear idea of how much you can spend.

In other instances, you will have to pay yourself - a particularly common outcome in cases of mass disruption. You have the right to organise “reasonable” care and assistance for yourself.

So how much, exactly, is ‘reasonable?’

Unfortunately, it’s hard to say.

Airlines deliberately don’t specify an exact threshold. A level of common sense applies - if your flight from Gatwick is delayed, you likely won’t be reimbursed for a five-star stay in central London.

But other questions are trickier. What if the only accommodation left is an expensive hotel? What if there’s nowhere to stay near the airport and you need to pay for a taxi?

Again, you are entitled to ‘reasonable’ support so both of these expenditures would likely be justified. But the grey area can be stressful.

To make sure you don’t get caught out, follow these steps.

The first rule is simple: make sure you keep every receipt.

“If you end up paying for things yourself or booking your own replacement flight or hotel, keep every