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FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN cancelled at a number of airports in Ireland and other European countries due to the bad weather.
Further disruption is expected over the coming days as snow and low temperatures take hold due to the so-called Beast from the East and Storm Emma.
The Commission for Aviation Regulation has advised people to be aware of their rights if their flight is cancelled or delayed.
Commissioner Cathy Mannion said passengers should check with their airline regarding the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.
“However, if your flight is delayed or cancelled then you have a number of options depending on the circumstances. We want all passengers to be aware of this as it may help to alleviate some of the stress and disruption that such delays can cause,” Mannion said.
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must offer you a choice between the following:
If you choose the first option (re-routing as soon as possible), your airline must provide you with care and assistance while you wait for the alternative flight. Care and assistance comprises:
Long delays
If your flight is subject to a long delay (two hours or more), your airline must provide you with the care and assistance described above. In addition, if your flight is delayed by more than five hours, it must offer you a choice between:
The Commission said it is not possible for passengers to travel and avail of a full refund.
If your airline does not provide the care and assistance described above, the Commission said passengers “should make their own reasonable arrangements and retain all receipts in the process”. Passengers are advised to then submit copies of these receipts to the airline for reimbursement.
In the case of both flight cancellations and long delays, air carriers should provide affected passengers with written notices setting out their rights and entitlements under EC Regulation 261/ 2004.
The Commission said compensation is unlikely to be payable to passengers affected by flight cancellations or long delays as adverse weather conditions are incompatible with the safe operation of a flight and are regarded as exempt under the passenger rights legislation.
More information can be read here.
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Any chance of a phone number orla!?
Does this include the 33 hour wait we had in lanzarote from Sunday till Monday night.
@Aurdge: yes but it us a bit late to ask for a meal, drink and hotel room now.
@Aurdge: Ouch!!
So are we entitled to compensation for this adverse weather or not? The last paragraph seems to suggest we will not get any compensation.
@Peter O Donnell: why should you expect compensation from a private company for an act of god??
@Chris Leitrim: why is a refund any good if your stuck away. Most flights are over 90% full so very little free space To get people home. People are stuck everywhere with no hotels or modes or transport. Airlines are very quick to fleece you if your bag is too big or you forgot to check in online etc. They should be forced to look after passengers(by booking hotels etc) not just saying claim them back. It doesn’t make a difference if the flight cost € 9.99. Its legal contract and a refund of €9.99 isn’t much good to anybody. Neither is having to wait 3 days to get the next flight due to the onset of delayed passengers from previously cancelled flights.
@Peter O Donnell: I agree with you that a refund doesn’t seem like a fair compensation in cases such as this. On the other hand, it’s not the airline’s fault either: the disruption is also costing them money, so they’d like nothing more than to operate the flight on time. It wouldn’t be exactly fair to have the airline pay for the compensation – it would need to come from another third party which has a budget dedicated to these situations. Unfortunately, this doesn’t exist.
Thanks for that information very helpful
Our flight was cancel for tomorrow and we wanted rebooked for Saturday but the airline wanted another €215 each to do so what a joke…
@Lisa Kearns: If it is the same airline the cost will be zero once you get to the checkout stage if you are going with another airline you will have to pay and then claim it back
But we tried to rebook with FR and their site kept bombing out/stuck…….we could not complete a booking for any other day on the wednesday. We were left with no option but to book a flight home with another airline. We managed to secure extra nights at accomodation we were staying at. Rather than joining in with all the bedlum that was likely to be taking place at airport we decided to stay put and wait .
Our flight home with EI was 309 euro and 3 nights extra in another country was not our intention.
Surely such massive companies such as Ryan Air shoukd be able to offer some sort of compensation as an act of goodwill rather than a refund of unused portion of our flight which was only 90 euro.
Also, our flight was due to depart Prague before 3pm Irish time , long enough before the Red Alert was issued….but yet our flight was cancled. Ive learned of many flights that did land in Dublin after that time on Wednesday.
Also, Ryan air keep offering us to ” go to Ryan Air website”…..no other advise is given by them at all.
The website askes for a photo of sll receipts plus bank details etc…but nowhere to upload all info required!
Its a pure mess.
have your say