Writing for MSE, Martin said: “Did you have a flight delayed or cancelled this summer? You may be due fixed compensation of up to £520 per person.”
However, this flight doesn’t have to have happened recently, if it occurred in the last six years (or five years if it was from Scotland) you could benefit from money back.
Martin stated that to qualify, your flight must have:
- Been on any flight from a UK/EU airport, or a flight to a UK/EU airport, but in the latter case, it must also have been on a UK/EU airline
- Landed three or more hours late to count as delayed
- Been cancelled less than 14 days before it was due to fly
- Been the airline’s fault, so not bad weather, or issues with air traffic control – though airline staffing or servicing issues or knock-on delays due to previous flights usually do count
Martin said: “The amount you are due is fixed depending on the length of the flight and delay. For some family long-haul flights, it can be £1,000s.”
Separate information provided by MSE, said: “Compensation under EU and UK rules is designed to make up for the inconvenience of a delay – it’s not a refund of the flight ticket cost. So the amount you’ll get is fixed depending on the amount of time you were delayed and how far you were travelling.
“Crucially, it’s about when you arrive, not when you leave. You’ll start being eligible for compensation if your flight arrives three hours (or more) later than scheduled. So if you’re on a flight that takes off four hours late but lands two hours 55 minutes late, you won’t be eligible.”
Your arrival time is classed as when at least one of the plane doors is opened.
How much compensation could you claim?
- Flight length – up to 1,500km, delayed by three or more hours – £220
- Flight length – 1,500km to 3,500km, delayed by three or more hours – £350
- Flight length – 3,500km or more, three to four hours – £260
- Flight length – 3,500km or more, four or more hours – £520
If your flight is cancelled you should be given either a new flight to your destination or a refund. You could also be entitled to up to £520 in compensation, MSE said.
One MSE reader called Linda was inspired last year to try to claim some money back for a delayed flight, and got a total of £1,040. In an email she said: “I just wanted to thank you for your article on flight delay compensation.
“It triggered my memory of a delayed flight last November and I went straight on to the British Airways website and filled in the short form. It was so easy and a couple of weeks later I received an email advising that an amount of £520 per person would be paid into my account.
“We received £1,040 in total. What a result. Thanks to all the information on Martin Lewis’s site.” For more information, visit the MSE website here.