Airline passengers hit by delays are being encouraged to brush up on their rights and learn when they’re eligible to claim substantial compensation.
You could be entitled to as much as £520 for serious flight disruptions. However, certain conditions must be met to qualify for compensation for any flight delays.
This depends on whether your flight was within or outside the UK or EU, and if the delay was caused by the airline or was beyond their control. Note that passengers whose flights have been cancelled always have the right to a refund or an alternative flight.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) details on its website that in cases of “significant delay”, airlines must provide adequate food and drink, usually via vouchers, cover costs for phone calls, and arrange accommodation and transport to either the hotel or home for those delayed overnight. Support is required for delays over two hours for short-haul flights under 1,500km, over three hours for medium haul up to 3,500km, and over four hours for long-haul trips.
If airlines don’t offer this assistance on the day, the CAA suggests passengers should make their own “reasonable” arrangements, keep all receipts, and claim back expenses later, although it warns that claims for “luxury hotels and alcohol” will likely be rejected.
The CAA has made it clear: airlines have to pay compensation for delays extending beyond three hours, except when “exceptional circumstances”, such as air traffic control issues, apply. The CAA stresses the importance of carriers keeping passengers informed.
In their guidance, they assert: “If you have been delayed for more than five hours and no longer wish to travel then you are entitled to a refund. If you are a transfer passenger and missed your connection flight because your first flight was delayed, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point.”
Further clarifying the situation, the aviation watchdog states that should passengers opt for a later journey or request a refund, they can’t expect meals or overnight accommodation from the affected airline.
Passengers are warned by the CAA: “If you are on a package holiday and you decide not to travel on your outbound flight, you may lose your holiday too, we recommend you contact your package organiser or the airline for further information. If you still want to travel then your airline must get you to your destination. You might have to be patient while they rearrange transport and rebook passengers, but the law says they must get you there.”
Notably, compensation amounting to £520 is based on EU and UK regulations – it’s not a reimbursement for the cost of the flight ticket itself, but rather a set remuneration correlated with the delay duration and intended travel distance.
The specific compensation rates stand as:
- 3 or more hours delay for journeys up to 1,500km distance amounts to £220
- Delays of three or more hours for distances between 1,500km to 3,500km will cost you £350
- If the delay is between three to four hours for distances of 3,500km or more, it’s £260
- For delays of four or more hours for distances of 3,500km or more, the cost is £520
