Posted 17 July 2023
Compensation for delayed and cancelled flights
Update 1
25/07 - Thread updated to include latest foreign office travel advice for Greece Rhodes & Corfu
It's being reported that air traffic control issues across Europe (edit and now extreme temperatures in Europe) and strikes could lead to disruption for UK travellers this summer. If you face travel disruption, where your flight is delayed or cancelled, it's worth a reminder on what compensation you are entitled to if you do face significant delays or flight cancellations. Some basic info below.
Travel to Greece (Rhodes and Corfu)
Wildfires on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu are significantly impacting travel, with over 19,000 people evacuated. Check the foreign office for latest advice gov.uk/for…ece It advises holidaymakers on any affected Greek island to contact their airline or holiday company who will be able to help them get back to the UK. It has not advised against travelling to Rhodes or Corfu.
Rhodes Travel
Corfu Travel
Compensation for delayed flights
While you wait for your flight, under UK law, airlines must provide you with care and assistance if your flight is significantly delayed. The law splits the set timeframes into three categories:
This means they must provide:
The airline must provide 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.
Compensation for cancelled flights
If you have had a cancelled flight check your statutory right to get any compensation owed from the airline. Compensation level varies based on days notice, detailed below.
Seven to 14 days’ notice
If you received seven to 14 days’ notice of the cancellation, you may be able to claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight.
If your new flight departs no more than two hours before the scheduled time of your original flight AND your new flight arrives less than four hours after the scheduled time of your original flight, you are not entitled to financial compensation
More info
Less than seven days’ notice
If you received less than seven days’ notice of the cancellation, you can claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight:
If your new flight departs no more than one hour before the scheduled time of your original flight AND your new flight arrives less than two hours after the scheduled time of your original flight, you are not entitled to financial compensation
How to claim
Contact your airline directly. If you believe you have the right to claim compensation or reimbursement, you should contact your airline or airport directly. Compensation is not automatic, and you will need to contact your airline to make a claim.
More info on claims
Rearranging your flight
If your cancelled is covered by UK law, your airline must let you choose between two options:
1. Receive a refund - You can get your money back for all parts of the ticket you haven’t used. For instance, if you have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.If you are a transfer passenger and you have already completed part of your journey, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point when your connecting flight is cancelled and you decide not to continue your journey.
2. Choose an alternative flight - tIf you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight. It’s up to you whether to fly as soon as possible after the cancelled flight, or at a later date that suits you.
Although most airlines will book you onto another of their flights to the same destination, if an alternative airline is flying there significantly sooner or other suitable modes of transport are available then you may have the right to be booked onto that alternative transport instead. You can discuss this with your airline.
Package Holiday refund
If you booked a package holiday with a company that's an Abta member and your flight is cancelled, you're entitled to a suitable alternative flight or a full refund.
Useful links and related discussions
ABTA
Civil aviation authority - Delays and cancellation rights
Your rights amid Rhodes and Corfu fires - Sky News
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled? - BBC
Gatwick Airport staff to strike for 8 days in July & August
Applying for healthcare cover abroad (GHIC and EHIC)
Hand luggage rules for Flights 2023 including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, TUI..
Holiday Travel Tips 2022 - Hotels / Trains / Holidays + more
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Travel to Greece (Rhodes and Corfu)
Wildfires on the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu are significantly impacting travel, with over 19,000 people evacuated. Check the foreign office for latest advice gov.uk/for…ece It advises holidaymakers on any affected Greek island to contact their airline or holiday company who will be able to help them get back to the UK. It has not advised against travelling to Rhodes or Corfu.
Rhodes Travel
- Jet2 cancelled all flights and holidays to Rhodes for this week, saying "we will be contacting affected customers with regards to their refund and rebooking options".
- TUI also cancelled all outbound flights to the island until the end of Friday - with holidays for customers travelling to affected hotels cancelled for the rest of this week. Customers who have booked flights will get a full refund, while package holiday customers can either amend their booking for free or get their money back.
- EasyJet said the situation for many in Rhodes is "very difficult". Flight-only customers who are booked before 29 July have been told that services are still operating, but they should check the flight's status before travelling. Customers have the option of transferring their flight to another date, or receiving a voucher for the value of their air fare.
- EasyJet's package holidays have been cancelled until Tuesday 25 July, and customers will get a full refund. Those due to leave between now and Saturday are being "proactively contacted" to confirm their options.
- British Airways is also operating flights as normal but "monitoring the situation in Rhodes very closely". People meant to fly this week can choose to travel at a later date if they want to - and customers who want to return to the UK early can change their booking free of charge.
- Ryanair says its flights are running normally and are unaffected by the forest fires - with a statement giving no indication of whether customers can change their booking. Passengers who have lost their travel documents have been told that temporary documentation from Greek police will be accepted.
- Thomas Cook has cancelled all holidays to areas of Rhodes most affected by the wildfire - such as Kiotari and Lardos - until 31 July. Those due to travel before then can receive a full refund, amend their departure dates, or arrange to go to an alternative destination.
- For customers booked to go to Kiotari and Lardos from 1 August onwards, Thomas Cook says it is working closely with partners on the ground to understand the impact of the wildfires - and will be in touch with holidaymakers over the coming days with information and updates.
- When it comes to Rhodes as a whole, Thomas Cook is offering a full refund for departures until the end of Wednesday - with alternative destinations and travel dates also available. For holidays to Rhodes from Thursday onwards, decisions are going to be made on a daily basis.
- "If customers do want to cancel or amend their holiday for departures after Wednesday 26 July they can do so at their cost and we will not charge a fee but airlines may do so," it said.
Corfu Travel
- TUI has reassured customers due to travel to Corfu that its hotels and resorts are operating normally after a wildfire in a small area of the northeast was contained.However, people due to travel up to and including 30 July can amend their booking for free.
- People already in Corfu and due to fly home with British Airways can "change their flight to come back earlier if they wish free of charge". Anyone flying with BA until Sunday can change to a later date for free.
- Jet2 flights to Corfu are flying as normal from 26 July and beyond, with easyJet also running its usual service.
- Ryanair says its flights to and from Corfu are continuing as normal.
Compensation for delayed flights
While you wait for your flight, under UK law, airlines must provide you with care and assistance if your flight is significantly delayed. The law splits the set timeframes into three categories:
This means they must provide:
- A reasonable amount of food and drink (often provided in the form of vouchers)
- A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls)
- Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day (usually in a nearby hotel)
- Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)
The airline must provide 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.
Compensation for cancelled flights
If you have had a cancelled flight check your statutory right to get any compensation owed from the airline. Compensation level varies based on days notice, detailed below.
Seven to 14 days’ notice
If you received seven to 14 days’ notice of the cancellation, you may be able to claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight.
If your new flight departs no more than two hours before the scheduled time of your original flight AND your new flight arrives less than four hours after the scheduled time of your original flight, you are not entitled to financial compensation
More info
Less than seven days’ notice
If you received less than seven days’ notice of the cancellation, you can claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight:
If your new flight departs no more than one hour before the scheduled time of your original flight AND your new flight arrives less than two hours after the scheduled time of your original flight, you are not entitled to financial compensation
How to claim
Contact your airline directly. If you believe you have the right to claim compensation or reimbursement, you should contact your airline or airport directly. Compensation is not automatic, and you will need to contact your airline to make a claim.
More info on claims
Rearranging your flight
If your cancelled is covered by UK law, your airline must let you choose between two options:
1. Receive a refund - You can get your money back for all parts of the ticket you haven’t used. For instance, if you have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.If you are a transfer passenger and you have already completed part of your journey, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point when your connecting flight is cancelled and you decide not to continue your journey.
2. Choose an alternative flight - tIf you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight. It’s up to you whether to fly as soon as possible after the cancelled flight, or at a later date that suits you.
Although most airlines will book you onto another of their flights to the same destination, if an alternative airline is flying there significantly sooner or other suitable modes of transport are available then you may have the right to be booked onto that alternative transport instead. You can discuss this with your airline.
Package Holiday refund
If you booked a package holiday with a company that's an Abta member and your flight is cancelled, you're entitled to a suitable alternative flight or a full refund.
Useful links and related discussions
ABTA
Civil aviation authority - Delays and cancellation rights
Your rights amid Rhodes and Corfu fires - Sky News
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled? - BBC
Gatwick Airport staff to strike for 8 days in July & August
Applying for healthcare cover abroad (GHIC and EHIC)
Hand luggage rules for Flights 2023 including British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, TUI..
Holiday Travel Tips 2022 - Hotels / Trains / Holidays + more
Cancellation and refund rights for trains / hotels / event tickets
10 Airline stopover programs + free or discounted hotel stays / experiences - 2023
Community Updates
251 Comments
sorted byeasyJet compensation guide and form
Ryanair claim form
Lufthansa compensation guide and form
SAS claim form
CAA guide on how to write a claim application
hotukdeals.com/dea…118
Came in handy a couple of weeks ago, a 45 minute delay coming back from Oslo, I received a lounge pass 4 hours in advance, so 3 hours in the lounge was a very nice compensation.
Flight landed at Heathrow only 10 minutes late!
Although the monthly deal ends in September, you can register any future flights you've got booked. I've registered all my flights through to January 2024.
We were boarded 3.5hrs late and sat on plane for an hour before them telling us they would not fly that night. So had to make hotel plans at 2am.
The flight attendants refused to fly because they'd worked over their 10hr shift.
Yet, somehow they came up with a different reason for not flying when it came to trying to get compensation.
I lost faith in it, so have now given up on €500 we thought we would be due.
"Following a review of your claim, we regret to advise that no liability to compensation arises under the EU261 regulation as your flight was disrupted due to restrictions of the airspace imposed by air traffic control services, outside Ryanair�s control and our position remains final."
Just because you were delayed 3 hrs does not entitle you to compensation if you cannot disprove the circumstances the airline claims for the delay.
Yes, you will get expenses paid if you had to stay an extra day if you were away from home. But they weasel out of compensation through claims it wasn't the airlines fault. (edited)
which.co.uk/con…hts
You have duty of care and potentially EU261.
Process was simple - e-mailed airline and was asked for flight details, booking reference etc and received another email couple of weeks later asking for IBAN, Swift etc and was paid a couple of weeks later
Best of luck all (edited)
“As per our records your flight was a heavy delay due to the crew out of hours for 2 sectors. A/C was swapped to bring on time and ATC slot 2119Z was issued. Captain then phones stating he could not board as they were in discretion with the slot. Crewing advised him he was not in discretion and was calculating it incorrectly. Due to this further delay to boarding the slot then became 2255Z which did push the crew into discretion and captain continued to refuse to board. Once FA was then offloaded sich and the replacement called from home SBY who became lost in the terminal.
Unfortunately, in this situation, the disruption was caused by factors beyond our control, and we are unable to grant the requested compensation.”
So essentially the captain made a mistake, refused to board, and made them lose the slot, then continued to refuse to board. Then they call the Home Standby Captain and they get lost in the terminal. How is that not within their control? It’s literally their employees 🙈
put the compensation claim in with Tui while we were still there and got our claim within 2 days - £350 each
paid into my account today so less than a week later.
I’d have known about this scheme if it wasn’t for Martin Lewis, it should be enrolled automatically so people don’t miss out
for me, I wouldn’t travel with an agency that was not a member of ABTA. But each to their own.
Missed getting the boarding pass. Plane left. Manager then sorted the ticket too late.
Suitcase went on the 10pm flight but they were denied that flight and given the flight the next day so 24hr delay.
Which was then delayed due to earthquake 3000 miles away. Then cancelled due to "tornado" warning in NY???
Flight was then re-booked next morning and they paid for the taxi there and back and the hotel. So 2 days late. Lady at desk saw the Visa and did the ticket no issue.
Oh and that suitcase, was a TSA lock and was cut, no note. Oh and the hand luggage handle was ripped too. Crazy trip. (edited)
Have got my fingers crossed, booked the O2 Priority flight lounge access in case of delay, and confirmed via chat that if EasyJet cancel then Tui will be liable to sort it all out or refund if they can’t rearrange the whole package within a couple of days of original departure.
Does anyone knows if there is any chance to claim compensation for an Easyjet flight that was officially 2h59 late ? Probably arguing that the door was not open and passengers were not off the aircraft until after the 3 hour mark.
I know this is likely the worst / unluckiest outcome for my partner and I regarding the flight delay.
Some folks will just refuse to pay - Ryanair refused to compensate me after first dropping the flight after a delay of several hours and then not communicating at all that accommodation would be available (we found our own).
The truly annoying part is that we queued for a good hour and a half for the customer service booth, we were immediately given compensation forms and binned off...
...but they weren't paying compensation, so... what the heck Ryanair?
If I didn't keep the receipt, is my bank statement good enough as proof?
That was with ryanair
In answer to your question, I don't think there's anything you can claim for in this instance. You've received your refund and a crappy voucher. Maybe consider a city break or something to rinse some value out of the voucher?
Personally, I'd let it go as life's too short.
I emailed them and they accepted the flight was delayed after few months but no mention of compensation at all.