Cancellation and delays - passenger rights
If your flight has been delayed or cancelled, then you are protected by UK law.
This applies if you were flying out of a UK airport or if you were flying back to a UK airport with a UK or EU airline. If you faced a delay of over two hours, you may be entitled to assistance, potentially including the provision of food and drink, as well as accommodation if a delay continues overnight.
If your flight has been cancelled, then your airline should offer you the choice of a full refund or alternative flights. Under the current situation, alternative flights may not be practical to organise, for example where government advice is to avoid travel to particular destinations. A refund may therefore be the only option available for you.
Speak to your airline for further assistance.
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office / Government travel advice
If the Government has advised against all but essential travel to your destination, your airline will likely cancel your flight and offer a full refund. If you are due to travel imminently and your flight has not been cancelled, check the airline website before contacting the airline. If the airline has confirmed that your flight will go ahead, they may still be able to offer a refund, allow you to change your booking to a later date, or your travel insurance may be able to provide assistance.
The Government's travel advice may be subject to change, potentially at short notice. This may include the requirement for passengers arriving from certain destinations to quarantine themselves for a period of time. If this requirement has an impact on your travel plans which means you no longer wish to travel, please speak to your airline who may be able to rebook your flight and may offer you a refund.
We are aware that some airlines and travel providers are offering vouchers in place of refunds. If your flight has been cancelled, you are entitled to a refund, so if you would rather the financial payment, please request this from your travel provider. Please allow additional time over the holiday period for the airline to process your refund.
If you believe you are entitled to receive a refund from your airline but they are refusing, you may wish to open a complaint with the airline.
Review of cancelled flights relating to COVID-19
Travel restrictions imposed by governments in response to the spread of COVID-19 have led to a significant number of flight cancellations.
While we recognise that this is a very challenging time for both passengers rights still apply.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has been pro-actively reviewing flights cancelled since March 2020 to consider whether they were due to COVID-19.
Please see our passenger rights information for details of the flights that have been reviewed.