How to claim compensation if your flight is cancelled from Heathrow and Gatwick

Chaos has ensued at Heathrow and Gatwick airports over the last week, with half-term holidaymakers reporting queues lasting hours at security and passport control, with a lack of staff on hand to help. There have also been reports of security desks being closed, passport security broken, creating ‘crazy’ queues lasting for hours.

Though Gatwick has responded to these claims saying “there are no significant queues”, there have reportedly been cancellations this morning (May 30). One woman said she made a two hour journey to the airport and only found out that her flight was cancelled at the check-in desk. If your flight has been cancelled recently, there are ways of getting compensation back.

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If your flight is delayed for long enough, you are entitled to food and drink, access to phone calls and emails, as well as accommodation if you are delayed overnight (including journeys to and from the airport).

How long the delay has to be to claim compensation depends on the distance of the flight, as well as the countries its flying between. Here’s how the compensation is calculated:

• Less than 1500km flight distance – two hour delay
• Between 1500km-3500km – three hour delay
• More than 3500km – four hour delay

In these instances, airlines may give you vouchers to get your compensated items at the airport, though they are unlikely to pay for ‘unreasonable’ expenses such as alcohol or luxury hotels. You are also unlikely to get compensation if the delay was due to something outside of the airline’s control, such as bad weather or a security scare.

Five-hour delays

You are entitled to refuse to take the flight if the delay is five hours or longer. The airline legally has to give you a full refund for the flight you choose not to go on, a full refund for other flights from the airline, such as an onward or return flight, and if you’re part-way through a journey, a refund for the flight back to the airport you originally departed from.

You are entitled to a full refund within seven days of the date of the flight. You may also be entitled to £520 in compensation if the delay is the airline’s fault. For example, they might have overlooked a technical problem or booked too many people.

Cancellations

If your flight is cancelled, you may be entitled to a full refund, including other flights from the airline such as return flights, or you can get a replacement flight to your destination.

You have a legal right to help with costs if the cancellation delays you two or more hours. You should contact the airline as soon as possible to claim your compensation.

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