The UK's main airline watchdog has issued an alert reminding flyers this summer that they could be entitled to payments of up to £520 for delayed flights. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said people whose flight is delayed, where it is the airline's fault, can claim hundreds of pounds in compensation.
How much can you claim?
In a new post on X today, the CAA said the level of payments depends on how long the flight is. For flights of up to 1,500km (for example, Glasgow to Amsterdam), people can get £220 compensation for a three-hour delay. For flights up to 3,500km (such as East Midlands to Marrakesh), the amount rises to £350, and for flights over 3,500km (like London to New York), the compensation is £520.
The CAA said: "Airlines do not have to pay compensation if they consider the delay to be caused by 'extraordinary circumstances'. If you are entitled to compensation, this will be for a fixed amount and is not linked to the price you paid for your ticket. Compensation amounts are based on the distance of your flight and sometimes the length of your delay. You can calculate the distance of your flight using the Great Circle Route method by using a third-party website."
What counts as extraordinary circumstances?
The CAA explained that 'extraordinary circumstances' where airlines might try to avoid compensation include weather conditions incompatible with the safe operation of the flight, strikes unrelated to the airline (such as airport staff, ground handlers, air traffic control or border force), acts of terrorism or sabotage, security risks, political or civil unrest, and hidden manufacturing defects (a manufacturer recall that grounds a fleet of aircraft).
A 'technical problem' is not an extraordinary circumstance. The European Court of Justice ruled in Van der Lans v KLM that 'a technical problem' is not one of the extraordinary circumstances that airlines can use as a valid defence against paying flight delay compensation.
The CAA said: "If you are not sure whether extraordinary circumstances apply to your flight, but have read about your other rights and think you might have a case, you can make a claim to your airline for compensation. The airline should explain to you the reason for the disruption. If they consider it was due to extraordinary circumstances they will need to clearly set out why. If they reject your claim then you can consider whether to pursue it further."
How to claim
The group said compensation is not paid automatically and the passenger would need to claim this directly from the airline in the first instance. The CAA said: "compensation and a separate claim for expenses."
If you are not satisfied with your airline's final response to your claim, or your airline takes more than eight weeks to respond, you can escalate your claim. This will be to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider if your airline is signed up to one, or the CAA's in-house Passenger Advice and Complaints Team (PACT) if they are not.
If the flight is delayed by at least five hours, the person can choose not to travel and get a refund for the flights they have not yet taken on their booking.
