Travellers Urged To 'Know Their Rights' Over Cancelled Flights

With over 1,100 flights cancelled already this year in Northern Ireland, the Consumer Council (CC) has urged travellers to ensure they know what their rights and what they are entitled too, if their flight is affected.

CC Head of Transport, Richard Williams, outlines what consumers are entitled to if their flights are delayed or cancelled.

What your airline should do if things go wrong

All airlines must clearly inform their customers about their rights as air passengers. They must inform you by means of warnings at the time of invoicing, written notices in case of delay and updated information on their own website.

Airlines also have a legal obligation to provide you with a range of things depending on the circumstance surrounding the disruption. These include care and assistance, such as refreshments if you are delayed at the airport, a refund or alternative transport if your flight is cancelled and overnight accommodation if required.

Compensation

If your flight is significantly delayed or cancelled, you may be entitled to a fixed amount of compensation if it was the fault of the airline.

The airline should also explain to you the reason for the delay or cancellation and if it means you are entitled to compensation. However, we have heard from consumers who have not received the support they should have, with poor communication, and the airline not making it clear if they are entitled to compensation.

If the airline's explanation doesn't seem right to you, or doesn't reflect your own experience, you should make a claim for compensation.

In a case that was in the news recently an airline cancelled flights claiming this was due to 'extraordinary circumstances'. This is where delays or cancellations have been caused by things that are not the responsibility of the airline and so compensation is not payable. In this case, the airline claimed the cancellation was due to air traffic control restrictions, which are out of its control. However, a passenger suspected this was not the case, took the airline to court and received compensation.

You must make a claim for compensation

If you are entitled to compensation, it will not be paid automatically so you must make a claim using the online form on the airline's website.

We want to see better consumer protection provided by airlines. There is currently no legal requirement for the airline to inform all passengers when they are eligible for compensation. We have called on the UK Government to require airlines to make delay compensation payments automatically, rather than customers having to apply themselves.

What are you entitled to if your flight is delayed or cancelled:

View details on exactly what you are entitled to.