What to do if your flight is delayed – including free rebooking and compensation

Many of us are surprised if our flight actually takes off by the time it’s scheduled to, even without any major issues affecting travel.

Standard issues with late passengers or toddler tantrums (yes, really) can delay things. Then there are the bigger issues such as strikes or air traffic problems, as well as rare but ever-present risks of lightning, volcanic eruptions, and torrential flooding.

While customers have a host of strongly-enforced rights to assistance and compensation when it comes to cancellations, their entitlements in the event of delays are less well-known.

In fact, travel experts say passengers are far more likely to fall into this category as the vast majority of disrupted flights will still take off, despite lengthy waits if the operator can staff them.

Here is a breakdown of what you should do if your flight is impacted by the disruption.

What counts as a flight delay?

Under UK law, airlines must provide passengers experiencing ‘significant delays’ with food and drink (usually in voucher form), means of communication and, if their flight is pushed back a day, temporary accommodation and transport to the lodgings.

It’s not just about whether you feel you’re running late. In terms of the right to compensation and practical support, ‘significant delays’ mean waits of more than two hours for short-haul flights, three hours for medium-haul and four hours for long-haul.

Passengers due to travel on UK or EU-regulated flights are also legally entitled to compensation for delays of more than three hours to the arrival time – starting with £210 for short-haul flights – unless caused by ‘extraordinary circumstances’ out of the airlines’ hands.

These rules cover any flights leaving from a UK or EU airport and do not change if the airline is based in another country, according to MoneySavingExpert.

That means they still apply if you fly between two EU countries, or fly elsewhere on an EU-regulated flight that has nothing to do with the UK.

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They also usually apply if the delay stops you from boarding a connecting flight from a non-UK, non-EU airport if both legs were part of a single booking, or if that connecting flight was similarly delayed.

If your flight is delayed by more than five hours and you no longer want to catch it, you are entitled to a full refund regardless of the cause, according to Citizens’ Advice.

Be wary of doing this if you still plan to get to your destination by other means: the return flight purchased through your original operator may be included as part of the same refunded booking.

What to do if your flight is delayed

The first step to protecting your holiday from delays starts before you even pack your bags: travel insurance.

Having travel insurance means you will be covered even if the airline themselves won’t pay out for compensation. They won’t always, if they can prove the delay was from something out of their control, such as a volcanic eruption grounding flights.

Many insurers offer cover for customers who can prove they missed their flight due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’, according to Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel.

He writes on Which?: ‘Evidence that you turned up at the time advised by the airport or airline could be crucial, so keep your bus ticket or parking stub, and any receipts from shops or restaurants inside the terminal.

What to do at the airport?

Travellers should ‘make a fuss’ if their flight is due to take off soon and they’re running late due to delays in processing them, for example by asking staff to take them to the front of the queue.

Airport staff are used to this and will often fast track you through security or check-in if they can see on your ticket that things are tight.

If staff are hard to come by, airlines must usually provide updates online – but if this fails, you can also enter your flight number on FlightRadar24 for real-time tracking of the plane you’re due to catch.

Mr Boland added that if you still can’t get to the flight in time: ‘Buried in the T&Cs of many airlines is a promise to help, and some will let you rebook for free in such instances.’

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