Dosh dilemma: Susan’s flight was heavily delayed – is she entitled to a refund?

Susan had been saving for months for a family holiday to Spain. On the big day, she turned up at the airport with the kids only to find their flight to Malaga was heavily delayed.

Now, entertaining three kids at a busy airport for four hours isn’t much fun and gets horribly expensive, all those demands for drinks and snacks. Susan felt like she'd spent half her holiday budget before even getting on the plane!

She now wants to know if she’s entitled to a refund or compensation.

Well Susan, it depends. Here’s what you need to know.

If your flight is delayed by three or more hours

You may be entitled to compensation if the delay was the airline’s fault.

That includes:

• technical problems
• staffing issues
• not enough passengers booked

But delays caused by things like bad weather or security alerts are out of the airline’s control and you’re unlikely to get compensation.

How much could you get?

The amount of compensation depends on how far you were flying and how late you arrived:

• for short-haul flights (under 1,500km), if you were delayed by three hours or more, you could get £220
• for medium-distance flights (between 1,500km and 3,500km), a three-hour delay could mean you get a refund of £350
• for long-haul flights (over 3,500km), it gets a bit trickier:

• • if you arrived more than four hours late, you could get £520
  • but if the delay was less than four hours, you’d only be entitled to £260

You can check the distance of your flight on WebFlyer.

If your flight is delayed by five hours or more

In this situation, you don’t have to fly at all. If you decide not to travel, the airline must give you:

• a full refund for your ticket
• a refund for any unused flights in the same booking (like your return trip)
• if you're part-way through your journey, they must also offer a flight back to your starting point

But if you choose to travel anyway, you could still be entitled to up to £520, depending on the flight distance and how late you arrived but again, only if the delay was the airline’s fault.

What if the flight gets cancelled altogether?

You’ve got rights here too. The airline has to offer you either:

• a full refund for your flight (plus any other parts of your journey booked with them), or
• a replacement flight to your destination

If you’re already part-way through the journey and don’t want the replacement, they must get you back to your original airport.

While you wait for your flight

Under UK law, airlines must provide you with care and assistance if your flight is significantly delayed.

This means they must provide:

• a reasonable amount of food and drink (usually vouchers)
• a way for you to make calls or send messages
• accommodation, if you’re delayed overnight, usually in a nearby hotel
• transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)

And this applies regardless of why the flight is delayed, even if it’s not the airline’s fault.

How to claim compensation?  

Most airlines have an online form you can fill in for compensation or to claim back your expenses. Just make sure you keep your boarding passes, receipts and details of the delay.

Which? has a useful compensation tool which will calculate what compensation you’re entitled to.

What if the airline refuses?

If you’re not happy with the airline’s response, you can take your complaint to an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) body that’s approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). They’ll take a look at your case.