A delayed flight can quickly disrupt your travel plans, whether you’re heading off on holiday, travelling for work, or trying to make an important connection.
While delays are often unavoidable, many passengers are unsure of what they’re entitled to when their flight doesn’t depart as scheduled.
The good news is that passengers have important rights when flights are delayed. Understanding those rights can help you make informed decisions, minimise disruption, and know what steps to take if a dispute arises.
Read on to find out what you could be owed!
If you’ve hit a wall with an airline or airport, AviationADR offers a FREE, independent route to a resolution – approved by the Civil Aviation Authority to settle disputes between passengers and Participating Member airlines and airports across the UK and EU.
Why do Flights get delayed?
Flights can be delayed for a wide range of reasons. Some delays are caused by factors within an airline’s control, while others result from circumstances beyond it.
Common reasons include:
- Severe weather conditions
- Air traffic control restrictions
- Technical or mechanical issues
- Aircraft arriving late from an earlier flight
- Crew availability
- Operational or scheduling issues
- Industrial action
The reason for the delay can affect whether you may be entitled to compensation, but airlines may still have responsibilities to assist passengers while they wait.
What are your Rights?
If your flight is delayed, your airline should keep you informed about the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.
Depending on the length of the delay and the circumstances, you may be entitled to:
- Care and assistance while waiting to travel (such as food & drink)
- Compensation in certain situations
- A refund if the delay is significant and you choose not to continue your journey
Your rights will depend on factors such as the length of the delay, the distance of your flight, and the reason for the disruption.
The usual minimum delay requirements you normally need to surpass in order to be eligible for financial compensation are one of the following:
- Arrival at destination more than 3 hours late
- A flight delay of over 5 hours (you may ask for a refund at this point)
For more comprehensive and up-to-date information, please make sure to check the Civil Aviation Authority’s Delays webpage.
ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Compensation is not necessarily going to be paid to you automatically. If your flight got delayed, and you believe the airline owes you, make sure to chase them up for this yourself – and escalate with an Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme (such as AviationADR, which is FREE) if they leave you unsatisfied. Don’t wait around!
The Airline’s Duty of Care
One of the most important passenger protections during a flight delay is the airline’s Duty of Care.
If you’re required to wait for an extended period, your airline may need to provide you with appropriate assistance, which could include:
- Food & drink
- Access to communication (such as phone calls or emails)
- Hotel accommodation (if an overnight stay becomes necessary)
If the airline cannot provide these arrangements directly on the day and you need to sort these necessities out yourself, keep receipts for any reasonable expenses you incur, as you can show these to them later and ask to be reimbursed.
Don’t take the support for granted, though!
If you’re buying for yourself with the hopes of being reimbursed later, don’t go to 5 star hotels and eat as much as you can on the airline’s dime – most airlines are only willing to cover what they consider necessities (and unfortunately, it’s probably quite hard to make a case for how necessary an en-suite with a jacuzzi is for an overnight stay).
When could I get Compensation?
So, let’s cut to the chase: does the airline actually owe you anything?
Passengers often assume that every long delay automatically results in compensation, but that’s not always the case.
Whether compensation may be payable depends on several factors, including:
- The length of the delay on arrival
- The reason for the delay
- The length of your flight (distance)
- Whether the disruption was within the airline’s control
For example, events such as severe weather or certain air traffic control restrictions may be considered outside the airline’s control and could affect whether compensation is due. Each case should be assessed on its own facts.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom! If you arrive more than 3 hours late at your destination, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the delayed flight. Furthermore, depending on the length of the flight itself (distance), there are minimum delay timeframes beyond which you are entitled to the aforementioned airline Duty of Care.
The specifics for all of this are rather detailed, so we highly recommend you check the Civil Aviation Authority’s Cancellations webpage for in-depth information.
What should you do if your Flight is delayed?
Taking a few simple steps can make resolving any future complaint much easier. Take it from us – we run an ADR scheme that specialises in resolving airline & airport complaints!
It’s worth remembering to:
- Keep your boarding pass and booking confirmation
- Save emails, text messages, and app notifications from the airline
- Ask for the reason your flight was delayed
- Keep receipts for reasonable additional expenses (such as food & drink)
- Make a note of the time you were informed of the delay
- Submit a formal complaint using the airline’s published complaints procedure!
Step 6 is the most important one. As we keep reminding you – compensation is not necessarily automatic. If you want any chance of getting it, you’ll need to ask for it!
What if the airline denies my flight delay complaint?
If the airline has investigated your complaint regarding a delayed flight, and come to a Final Decision that you deem unsatisfactory (or they’ve ignored your complaint entirely), DON’T PANIC!
You can still escalate matters to pursue compensation – even for FREE, depending on the route you pick!
You could still:
- Take your complaint to an ADR provider (such as AviationADR)
- Take the airline to court
How can AviationADR help?
Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provides a straightforward alternative to court proceedings. It can offer passengers and airlines a fair, efficient way to resolve disputes without unnecessary time or expense.
AviationADR provides a FREE independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service for eligible complaints between passengers and Participating Member airlines or airports.
This includes (but is not limited to) disputes relating to matters such as:
- Flight delays
- Flight cancellations
- Denied boarding
- Baggage issues
- Customer service complaints
How it works:
Essentially, you bring your complaint to us (after giving the airline/airport in question 8 weeks to respond to your complaint directly), and we take a look at all the information and evidence available from both sides. We then reach a decision on who’s owed what (such as compensation)… all within 60 days of declaring a Complete Complaint File!
For more in-depth information, please see our Complaints Process Guide!
REMEMBER: We are far from being the only ADR provider covering air-travel. If you explore our site and discover that the airline/airport you travelled with are not Participating Members of our scheme, you can always go to a different ADR provider and see if they’re a Member of their scheme instead.
I have an unresolved Flight Delay Complaint… How do I get started?
You can lodge your complaint with us for FREE in whichever way suits you – through our online portal, our app, by post, or by phone:
> Start your complaint with AviationADR
> What to do before you come to us
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