Cash advice: Take airline action!

Travel editor Michael Reay* gives his top tips on getting compensation if something goes awry with your flight

Around 75,000 BA passengers were stranded at airports around the UK and abroad recently, due to a serious IT issue. This has brought the EU’s rules on compensation for delayed or cancelled flights into the spotlight – you can be entitled to up to £520, depending on where your flight was to and how long the delay was. But with claims procedures far from simple, here’s all you need to know to get your cash back if things go wrong…

3 ASK QUESTIONS

Typically, with cancellations, the airline will try to book you on another flight operated by their airline where possible. However, by doing some research and asking politely, you can try to get put on a different airline, with an earlier departure time.

1 KEEP EVIDENCE

When it comes to delayed or cancelled flights, you must keep any supporting evidence, such as receipts and boarding passes – take pictures as a back-up. Keeping receipts for expenses you incur because of a delay or cancellation, such as hotels or food, is important if you want to claim this back from the airline.

4 KNOW WHERE TO LOOK

Most airlines will have an online form to help you make a claim. The free tool resolver.co.uk provides template letters for submitting claims. AirHelp – airhelp.com – has launched an in-app Boarding Pass Scanner, which allows passengers to check their flightdelay compensation entitlement.

2 KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Generally, if your flight is delayed or cancelled, you’re entitled to free meals and refreshments appropriate to the delay, and free hotel accommodation and transfers if an overnight stay is required. If your delay is more than five hours, you’ll be entitled to choose between being rerouted or reimbursed. The exception is ‘extraordinary circumstances’: these include extreme weather conditions, security threats and industrial action. Every airline in Europe is obliged to provide you with information regarding these, so pick up a leaflet from your airline’s desk. You can make a claim up to six years after the delay or cancellation, too!

5 CONSIDER INSURANCE

It’s worth remembering that, outside Europe, European compensation rules may not apply. Regardless of where you’re travelling to, invest in insurance, which can cover more things than compensation laws will.