Brits have been urged to understand their rights when their flight is cancelled or delayed, amid disruptions across major UK airports.
For cancellations, travellers are entitled to refunds from the airline or an alternative flight however they may struggle to claim any additional compensation for airlines experiencing weather-related issues.
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Disruptions caused by extreme weather are not normally eligible for compensation as they are viewed as ‘extreme circumstances’.
Greg Wilson, CEO and travel insurance expert at Quotezone.co.uk said that although the airlines would normally offer compensation for cancelled or delayed flights, there are exceptions to the rule for issues outside of the airlines control, such as bad weather and natural disasters – having travel insurance gives passengers additional protection, depending upon the issue in question and the length of the delay.
He said: “Travel insurance policies normally cover flight delays and cancellations as standard but all policies vary, travellers need to check their protection details before jetting off. Depending on the type of policy, some travel insurance providers will offer cover for a delayed flight of over 24 hours, or if an alternative travel option hasn’t been offered by the airline.
“Insurance policies for missed or delayed flight departure will normally pay for costs incurred from delayed flights or if travellers miss the flight because of a situation out of their control – such as getting into an accident or being delayed by snow.
“For those keen travellers who have travel disruption coverage added to their policy, they could also claim for any missed excursions, kennel costs, hire car costs or missed flight connections as a result of the delay or cancellation, they just need to check what’s included at the time of purchase.
“We want to help travellers save where they can and know their rights should they suffer a delay, a cancellation or any other unexpected turbulence to their trip. Making sure bookings are ATOL protected, using a credit card to pay and taking out an insurance policy when they initially make their bookings, can all help protect their travels.”
