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WITH flight disruption capable of leaving passengers stranded for hours, or even overnight, AirHelp has created an essential Airport SOS Guide explaining what travellers should do when their journey goes wrong.
Many passengers don’t realise that an airline’s duty of care is separate from their right to financial compensation. Even when a delay has been caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as severe weather or air traffic control restrictions, the airline may still be required to provide practical assistance.
AirHelp can offer an expert-led feature covering:
- When airlines should provide food, refreshments and access to communications.
- How entitlement depends on the length of the delay and flight distance.
- When an airline should arrange and pay for hotel accommodation and transport.
- What happens when a delay causes a passenger to miss a connecting flight.
- What travellers should photograph, screenshot and document at the airport.
- Why boarding passes, booking confirmations and receipts for reasonable expenses should always be retained.
- When passengers could be entitled to compensation of up to £520 per person.
- Why eligibility is normally based on the time passengers reach their final destination, rather than the departure delay alone.
- How the free AirHelp app can track flights in real time, store journey details and alert passengers when they may be eligible for compensation.
Under UK passenger-rights rules, airlines should generally provide care after:
- Two hours for flights of 1,500km or less.
- Three hours for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km.
- Four hours for longer flights.
If the airline does not provide the required assistance, passengers may be able to arrange reasonable food, refreshments or accommodation themselves and seek reimbursement. AirHelp advises keeping every receipt and avoiding excessive spending.
Passengers who reach their final destination three or more hours late may also be entitled to compensation where the disruption was within the airline’s control. Depending on the journey, this could be worth up to £520 per person.
