No end in sight for flight cancellations
As air travel chaos seems to have no end in sight, people should be aware of the compensation rules for delayed and cancelled flights. Literally thousands of people will be eligible to receive some sort of compensation for the delays/cancellations that have occurred over the past few weeks as airlines battle staff shortages and overbooking issues.
Planning a get away to a sun drenched beach is what many of us live for. The summer finally arrives and we all jet off on holiday to relax and unwind. Unfortunately, thousands of tourists have had their get aways ruined by delayed or cancelled flights, meaning they didn’t arrive at the destination or were stuck in the UK at places like Manchester Airport.
Staff shortages on all sides, combined with seat overbooking by the airlines has created a nightmare in which chaos has become the norm.
With many families across the UK not even getting to leave the airport they arrived at; its essential that people know their rights and how to claim compensation.
Compensation for Delayed or Cancelled flights
Delayed flights.
If your flight is delayed for long enough, the airline should provide you with:
- Food & drink
- Access to phone calls and emails
- Accommodation if your delayed overnight and also journeys between the airport and the hotel
How long the delay has to be in order for this to happen will depend on the distance of the flight and the countries its flying between. For journeys less than 1500km this is two hours, between 1500 km and 3500km it is three hours and for more than 3500km, it is four hours.
Then, the amount of compensation you receive changes depending on the delays length and journey distance:
- Delays of three hours or more with destination less than 1500km away = £220.00
- Delays three hours or more between 1500km and 3500km = £350.00
- Delays of four hours or more and over 3500km = £520.00
If the delay gets to five hours, you do not have to board the plane. If you choose not to board the plane, the airline has to provide:
- A full refund of the flight
- A full refund for other flights from the airlines that you wont use in the same booking
- If your part way through a journey, a flight back to the airport you originally departed from
If you decide to board the flight then you will be entitled to £520.00 in compensation.
Cancelled flights.
If your flight is cancelled, there are two options:
- A full refund
- A replacement flight to get you to your destination
Once you are in the know with this information then you can proceed to make your claim against the airline.
Most airlines should automatically offer the options above however if not and/or if they refuse to compensate you then do not hesitate to contact our flight department at Sarah Waddington Solicitors who will check the details of your claim and confirm within minutes whether you have a good claim.
Once your claim is verified, we then put the wheels in motion and write to the airline requesting compensation on your behalf.
How Can Sarah Waddington Solicitors Help Me?
Whether this is the first time you’ve heard about claiming flight delay compensation or you’ve tried to make a claim before that has been denied by the airline, we can help. Our dedicated team of legal specialists have the knowledge and experience to handle your claim for you from start to finish. We work on a no win, no fee basis and don’t charge anything upfront so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!