Gatwick Airport flight drone cancellations – can you get compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
AS disruption at Gatwick airport rolls on for the third day, we explain whether passengers can get compensation and refunds for delayed and cancelled flights.
Thousands of passengers' have been left grounded just days before Christmas after illegal drones flew onto the runway causing chaos.
The operator of the drones has yet to be caught but Gatwick said this morning that its runway is "now available" and that a "limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival".
But while it's lift off for some passengers, the airport warns that it is "expecting ongoing delays and cancellations to flights today".
It advises passengers due to travel to and from Gatwick today to check the status of their flight with their airline.
Passengers flying from Gatwick are even being advised to check with their airline if it's worth turning up at the airport in the first place.
When flights are delayed or cancelled, under EU rules, passengers may be entitled to a refund or a new flight and sometimes compensation on top.
To be covered by these rules, your flight needs to have either departed from an EU airport or be an EU airline landing at an EU airport.
Here's what you need to know.
My flight's been delayed. Can I get my money back or a new flight?
If your EU flight has been delayed for more than five hours, you are entitled to a refund if you no longer wish to travel.
You will also get a refund for any unused parts of your booking - for example the return flight - and a flight back to your departure airport if you’ve already completed part of your journey.
If your flight is delayed, you may also get money for food, drink, communications and accommodation if the delay is overnight.
This kicks in after delays of two hours for short-haul flights, three hours for medium-haul flights, and four hours for long-haul journeys.
How to complain to your airline
IF you have a problem with your airline, you need to take your complaint to it in the first instance.
You can use to help with this as it includes template letters and send your complaints to the right person or department.
If your claim is rejected or you're not happy with the response you get, check if your airline is signed up to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme and send your complaint there.
If the airline isn't signed up to an ADR scheme, you may be able to take your gripe to the UK's aviation regulator - the .
If this still doesn't work, you could consider taking the airline to court.
Don't use a claims management company to submit compensation claims for you as they'll take a chunk of any payout you get.
Your airline may give you a voucher for this in the airport or you may need to pay yourself and reclaim the cash later - in this scenario, make sure you hold on to receipts.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said: "Under EU261 regulations, passengers that no longer wish to take their flight can contact their airline for a refund.
"For those passengers that do still wish to fly, we advise them to contact their airline to understand the options available.”
My flight's been cancelled. Can I get my money back or a new flight?
If your flight is cancelled you can get a full refund if you no longer want to travel - this includes a refund for the return leg.
If you still want to travel, you can ask to be put on an alternative flight, although it’s up to you whether to fly as soon as possible after the cancelled flight or at a later date.
If you opt for a later flight, you are also entitled to care and assistance. This usually means food, drink, access to communication - for example this could be by refunding the reasonable cost of phone calls - and accommodation if you have to stay overnight.
Your airline may give you a voucher for this in the airport or you may need to pay yourself and reclaim the cash later - in this scenario, make sure you hold on to receipts.
My flight's been delayed. Can I get compensation?
Where flights are delayed by three hours or more, passengers may be entitled to claim compensation of up to €250 (£226) for short-haul flights, up to €400 (£362) for mid-haul flights and up to €600 (£542) for long-haul flights.
If the delay is under three hours, you can't claim compensation.
But crucially, compensation is only paid when the delay is the airline's fault - for example, the crew or pilot were late or the airline suffered from routine technical problems.
Because the problems at Gatwick have been caused by drones, this would be considered an "extraordinary circumstance", which means it's outside of the airlines' control.
So unfortunately you won't get a compensation payout.
What if I've bought train tickets to travel to and from Gatwick?
THE train companies that operate to and from Gatwick airport are Gatwick Express, Southern, and Thameslink.
If you've have a train ticket to or from Gatwick with one of these companies, here's what you need to know:
- If you have a ticket to/from Gatwick airport, it will be valid to travel to/from Luton airport at no extra cost
- If you have a ticket to Gatwick airport it will be accepted on Southwestern Railway services to Southampton airport at no extra cost
- If you can't travel and need a refund - you won't be charged an admin fee
- Tickets dated for December 20 will be valid on December 21, and tickets valid for December 21 will be valid on December 22
A spokesperson for the CAA said: “Given the reasons for the current disruption at Gatwick Airport, the Civil Aviation Authority considers this event to be an extraordinary circumstance.
"In such circumstances airlines are not obliged to pay financial compensation to passengers affected by the disruption.”
My flight's been cancelled. Can I get compensation?
If your flight's been cancelled, you may be able to get compensation if you arrive at your final destination late AND if your flight was cancelled within 14 days of departing.
Compensation is up to €250 (£226) for short-haul flights, up to €400 (£362) for mid-haul flights, and up to €600 (£542) for long-haul flights.
But again, you can only claim if it's the airline's fault for cancelling your flight.
As this week's chaos at Gatwick has been caused by drones, it's not the airlines' fault, so you won't be able to claim compensation.
Am I covered by my travel insurance?
You might be able to make a claim on your travel insurance if you have "Travel Abandonment" cover.
Financial information provider Defaqto says the majority of travel insurance policies include cover for this, although the cover provided ranges from £250 to £25,000.
Brian Brown, head of insight at Defaqto, said: “It is the responsibility of the airline to get you to the destination you booked and so it must be the first port of call if your flight is cancelled.
"Your insurer will expect you to check with the airline before making a claim, so make sure you do this and keep any receipts, to avoid being left out of pocket.”
More on travel disruption
TUI Airways has been named the worst airline for paying out flight delay compensation to passengers.
As we come into winter, here are your compensation rights if your train or flight has been delayed or cancelled due to snow or weather.
Plus, we've dug out some vintage Gatwick photos as the airport turns 60 which prove that the golden age of plane travel wasn’t always perfect.
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