Flight cancellations can disrupt your travel plans significantly. If you find yourself in such a situation while travelling in the UK, it’s important to know your rights. This guide will outline what you can expect and how to handle a flight cancellation, ensuring you are well informed and prepared to deal with any disruptions effectively.
Understanding Your Rights
In the UK, passenger rights for flight cancellations are primarily governed by the UK261 Regulation, which still applies to flights from the UK to the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, and for flights from these places to the UK if operated by a UK or EU airline. What are your rights?
1. Right to Information
Airlines must inform you of the cancellation and the reasons behind it as soon as possible. They should also explain your rights to compensation and assistance, providing a written notice detailing these rights.
2. Right to Refund or Re-routing
When your flight is cancelled, you have the option to choose either a full refund of the ticket price within seven days, or a re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, or a later date convenient to you, subject to seat availability.
3. Right to Care
If you choose to re-route and have to wait for a later flight, the airline is obligated to provide care and assistance while you wait. This includes:
- Meals and refreshments proportionate to the waiting time.
- Hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is necessary.
- Transport between the airport and the place of accommodation.
- Two free telephone calls, telex or fax messages, or emails.
4. Right to Compensation
You may also be entitled to compensation if your flight is cancelled, unless:
- You are informed more than 14 days before the scheduled departure date.
- You are informed between two weeks and seven days before the scheduled departure and are offered re-routing that allows you to depart no more than two hours before the scheduled time and reach your final destination less than four hours after the scheduled time.
- You are informed less than seven days before the scheduled departure and are offered rerouting that allows you to depart no more than one hour before the scheduled time and reach your final destination less than two hours after the scheduled time.
- The cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
The amount of compensation depends on the distance of your flight and the specifics of the delay caused by the re-routing:
- £220 for all flights 1,500 kilometres or less.
- £350 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres.
- £520 for all flights not falling under the above categories.
Extraordinary Circumstances
You will not receive compensation if the cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided by any reasonable measure. These circumstances include severe weather conditions, security risks, and strike actions that affect operations.
Conclusion
Dealing with a flight cancellation can be stressful, but knowing your rights helps you manage the situation more effectively. Always ensure that you are informed about these rights and take the necessary steps to claim any compensation and assistance you are entitled to. This will help you minimise inconvenience and ensure that your travel disruptions are handled as smoothly as possible.
