News
Can you claim flight delay compensation If extreme weather causes a delayed or cancelled flight? / 17.10.2016
When extreme weather leads to delayed and cancelled flights, what are your rights and can you claim flight delay compensation?
Thousands of holiday makers were recently forced to abandon their holiday plans after hurricane Matthew struck Florida and parts of the Caribbean after already taking its toll in Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
If your flight is cancelled or delayed you usually can’t claim flight delay compensation if the problem is the result of bad weather – although under EU rules if your flight’s cancelled, you will at least get a refund or be offered an alternative flight.
Remember though, that EU rules will only apply if you’re flying from an EU country to the US, irrespective of the airline, or flying from the US to an EU country aboard an EU based airline.
And don’t forget:
- If you find yourself stuck in an airport, you should be provided with assistance in the form of food and necessary accommodation.
- It’s unlikely that you’ll get any money back from your accommodation, if you booked your flights separately, but if you booked an Atol-backed package holiday (the government scheme covering holidays and flights) then you might get your money back.
- In regards to your travel insurance, our advice is to consult your provider and check the details of your individual policy. However, insurers will often class a hurricane as a “natural disaster”, which means in many cases you won’t be covered under a standard policy.
If you are unsure as to whether your flight was delayed due to extreme weather or other factors, why not speak to one of our advisors? It only takes a few minutes for us to check and you may be owed flight delay compensation of up to £545.
