After a ghastly year for flight delays, with British Airways suffering two major IT failures, Ryanair’s problems with aircrew rotas and air traffic control disputes, a recent report reveals that nearly £400 million in claims could have been made for travel disruption or delay in the 11 months to November 2017.

Popular destinations such as Malaga and Dublin led the way in terms of delays. Domestic flights to Edinburgh and Glasgow also showed elevated delay and cancellation rates.

The amount of compensation delayed passengers are entitled to depends on both the length of the flight and the amount of time of the delay, but for flights departing from an EU airport that cover more than 3,500km and are delayed more than four hours, compensation of up to €600 is payable.

However, the availability of compensation depends on the reason for the delay. If it is due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’, no compensation is payable and your recourse would be to your travel insurance. Airlines are keen to cite extraordinary circumstances as the cause of the delay and it is worth noting that a mere technical problem with the aircraft would not normally qualify as ‘extraordinary’.

For further information, see the Civil Aviation Authority website.

Source: Private Client Library Content