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Flights - Arriving late at the final destination
Under EU law passengers are entitled to up to £509 if they arrive at their destination more than three hours late – as long as the delay is within the airline’s control.
Connecting journeys such as two separate flights should be treated as one single journey. It does not matter if the second flight takes off outside the EU, the law still applies. For example, holidaymakers who travel to Australia via Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong or Singapore would still be entitled to compensation.
The CAA says it should not matter which leg of the journey was delayed. The law states that if a passenger has booked one ticket with an airline and arrives at the last airport named on that ticket more than three hours late, they can claim money back.
NOTE: 2017 - The issue of a non-EU airlines’ liability under EC261 for a delay due to a missed connecting flight outside of the EU is currently subject to a case that will be heard by the UK Court of Appeal.
- It is part of the extraordinary circumstances clause under EC261/2004 Regulation, which exonerates them from liability in some cases.
How to find the real reason your flight was delayed
Ask the airport staff.
- It is your right to know why you will not be departing on time.
If you are likely to reach your destination 3 hours late, or miss your connection because of the delay, you can even ask a flight delay certificate as proof.
- This will come in handy when you claim a compensation for delayed flight.
The problem?
ALERT: Information provided by the airport staff is not always accurate.
- The airline sometimes lie about the cause of the delay to avoid paying compensation.
- Do some research on your own to find out if other planes were delayed at your departure airport, and if there were delays at the arrival airport, or if your flight was an isolated case.
- It might be hard to find access to this kind of information.