Whether it’s a man-made problem or a weather issue, flights are often prone to lengthy delays or cancellations.
The average delay for flights from major UK airports was 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024, with Gatwick the worst culprit for delays.
Here’s a look at what rights you have as a passenger if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
Your rights during delays
Your flight is covered by UK law if it departs or arrives at a UK airport on a UK or EU airline, or arrives at an EU airport on a UK airline.
When it comes to significant delays, UK law says airlines must provide you with care and assistance.
Significant delays are classed as:
• More than two hours for short-haul flights of under 1,500km (932 miles)
• More than three hours for medium-haul flights of 1,500km-3,500km (932 to 2,175 miles)
• More than four hours for long-haul flights of over 3,500km
Here’s what the law says the airline must provide you with until it can fly you to your destination:
• A reasonable amount of food and drink
• A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls)
• Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day
• Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)
It says this must be provided for you for however long delays last, irrespective of what has caused them.
Airlines may not always be able to arrange care and assistance for all passengers during major disruptions directly, but the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says you can organise the things listed for yourself and then claim the cost back from your airline later if you keep every receipt and do not spend more than is deemed reasonable.
In other words, don’t splash out on things like alcohol and luxury hotels during your wait and expect to claim your money back later.
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Who isn’t covered?
People who are not flying on a UK or EU airline from outside of Europe are “the people to be concerned about”, travel expert Simon Calder told Sky News.
“Those airlines, because they’re not British, do not have any obligations when they are flying to the UK from their home countries,” he says.
“So they might look after you – but they can just turn around and say, ‘Look, this isn’t our fault. You’re on your own. Good luck finding a hotel.’ And then you will try and claim from your travel insurance.”
What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must either give you a refund or book you on an alternative flight.
You can get your money back for all parts of a ticket you haven’t used, the CAA says.
If you have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, for example, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.
“If you are a transfer passenger and you have already completed part of your journey, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point when your connecting flight is cancelled and you decide not to continue your journey,” it adds.
If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight – whether it is the next available one, or a flight at an alternative, later date.
If another airline is flying significantly sooner than yours is able to offer, you may have the right to be booked onto a rival airline’s flight, but this has to be negotiated with the company.
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On last-minute cancellations, Naveen Dittakavi, founder and chief executive of Next Vacay, said: “If you’re already at the airport once the flight is cancelled, the best thing you can do is stay calm – you are protected against many things that might go wrong.
“Try calling the airline helpline rather than waiting to speak directly with the airport staff. The helpline is often more flexible and may provide you with an e-credit or voucher, or flexibility to change your travel dates quickly.”
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Can you get compensation?
In some cases, airlines may have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late – but that is only if the delay is deemed to be your airline’s fault.
Disruptions caused by things deemed “extraordinary circumstances” are not eligible for compensation, according to the CAA.
Extraordinary circumstances cover a lot of the things that normally result in flight delays, including weather and strikes unrelated to the airline, for example by air traffic control or baggage handlers.
