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Heathrow airport: What rights do you have to compensation for cancelled flights?

Simon Calder’s Travel

At 3am on Friday 21 May, the order was put out that London Heathrow, the busiest airport in Europe, would be shut all day due to a severe fire.

At the time, 120 planes were in the sky heading for LHR. Thousands of passengers were diverted, but many more were simply stranded. They may be entitled to care while they wait – but not, as this was beyond the control of airlines, compensation. But your rights depend on where your flight begins and the airline involved.

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For all flights from the UK and EU airports (as well as those in the wider EEA), European air passengers’ rights rules prevail. These were introduced in 2006 and are known as EC261. After Brexit, the UK copied and pasted the same regulations into British law as UK261.

The rules were devised to require airlines to do the right thing for their passengers. They specify the care and compensation you can expect when your plane is cancelled or heavily delayed.

These rules also apply for flights on EU and British airlines departing from outside the European Union and the UK.

A cancellation, or even a delay of hours rather than minutes could trigger the obligation for an airline to provide a hotel room and meals as appropriate. If the airline is to blame – in circumstances other than the Heathrow fire – it will also owe hundreds of pounds in cash.

Conversely, when flying on a non-EU/UK carrier from outside Europe. you may just have to put a dismal aviation episode down to expensive experience, and see if your travel insurer can help.

These are the key questions and answers.

In the UK and Europe, what can I expect if my flight is cancelled or delayed?

For delays of under two hours you have no rights (unless a short delay in the UK triggers a missed connection and much later arrival at your final ticketed destination – see below).

For longer delays, the airline should provide refreshments as appropriate after a specified length of time. This applies regardless of the cause of the delay.

The time at which the duty of care kicks in depends on the distance you are flying:

  • Short flights (up to 1,500km): refreshments after two hours.
  • Mid-haul journeys (1,500 to 3,500km): three hours.
  • Longer trips: four hours.

Note that if the airline believes providing the care would further delay the flight, it need not deliver.

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