What to do if your flight is delayed? Flights disrupted globally due to tech outage

Several major airlines suspended flights due to a global disruption believed to be connected to a Microsoft Windows security update.

On Friday morning (July 19), businesses around the world were affected by a tech outage which disrupted major IT services.

As of now, more than 1,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.This number, which is 1,078 at the moment, will only go up as the ripple effects increase.According to the company, today was expected to be the busiest day for departures from UK flights so far this year, with over 3,200 booked departures, the most daily departures since October 2019.

If you find yourself affected by the disruption, here are a few tips and tricks on what to do about delayed and cancelled flights.

Airlines ought to give you food and drink during the most severe delays (PA Wire)

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

According to the Citizens Advice website, if your flight is delayed for long enough, your airline has to give you:

• food and drink;
• access to phone calls and emails;
• accommodation if you’re delayed overnight - and journeys between the airport and the hotel.

How long the delay has to be depends on the distance of the flight and the countries it is flying between. You can check the flight distance on the WebFlyer website.

The airline might give you vouchers to get these things at the airport. Ask someone who works for the airline if you’re not offered any help.

If they don’t give you help at the airport, keep receipts for expenses and try to claim from the airline later. Airlines only pay for ‘reasonable’ expenses - you are unlikely to get money back for alcohol, expensive meals or luxury hotels.

Passengers at Pisa airport whose Easyjet flight was cancelled (Neil Rylance)

Am I entitled to compensation if my flight is delayed?

If your flight is delayed by more than three hours and it is the airline’s fault, you’re entitled to compensation from the airline.

You’re unlikely to get compensation if the delay was caused by something outside of the airline’s control, like bad weather or a security risk.

You’re entitled to a set amount of compensation depending on both:

• the distance of your flight - check your flight distance on the WebFlyer website
• the length of the delay – how late you are getting to your destination

If your flight is cancelled you have the right to a full refund or an alternative flight (PA Wire)

What should I do if my flight is cancelled?

If your flight is cancelled, the compensation that you’re due is different. Here are your options.

You have the legal right to either:

• a full refund - including other flights from the airline that you won’t use in the same booking such as onward or return flights
• a replacement flight to get you to your destination

if you’re part-way through a journey and you don’t want a replacement flight, you also have a right to a flight back to the airport you originally departed from.

Ask for a refund or replacement at the airport if you can. If not, you can claim from the airline later.

You also have a legal right to:

• help with costs – if the cancellation delays you two or more hours
• compensation - if you’d be delayed two or more hours by the replacement flight offered and you were given less than two weeks’ notice

People whose flights are cancelled should be able to get compensation (PA Archive)

If my flight is cancelled can I get compensation?

If your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to compensation legally if the cancellation is the airline’s responsibility.

You also qualify if:

• the replacement flight delays your arrival by two or more hours;
• your flight was cancelled less than 14 days before departure.

The amount of compensation you’re entitled to depends on:

• when the flight was cancelled;
• the distance of the flight – check the flight distance on the Web Flyer website;
• the departure and arrival times of the rescheduled flight.

For your full rights, visit the Citizens’ Advice Website.