Families were unable to fly home to the UK from their half term holidays in Majorca with easyJet and other airlines after restrictions were imposed due to poor weather in Europe
British holidaymakers were stranded in Spain after a major storm caused air traffic restrictions.
The airline was hit by a string of cancellations on Sunday and Monday, with multiple easyJet flights cancelled from Palma Airport in Majorca to UK airports including Birmingham and London Gatwick.
Countless British families have found themselves stranded in Majorca, unable to return from their half-term breaks as easyJet and other carriers grapple with imposed restrictions following dismal weather across Europe, which were cited as “outside [of the airline’s] control”.
Shortly after the groundings Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, warned of the potential of record flight delays over summer 2025 due to what he branded as “shoddy ATC services”. The airline chief has a long record of criticising ATCs across Europe.
The full extent of the chaos is not yet clear. More than 120 flights were delayed and around ten cancelled on Sunday, with a further seven on Monday. Palma Airport seems to be operating normally today.
Here is our guide on what you should do if you’re impacted by a delayed or cancelled flight while on holiday.
Were you impacted by the flight issues? Email [email protected]
Your airline has a duty of care
If your flight is delayed and you’re stuck at the airport, or it’s been cancelled and you’ve opted to be re-routed at the earliest opportunity but you’re stuck at the airport or abroad, your airline has a legal ‘duty of care’. Whatever the reason for the delay or cancellation. That means it must provide you with a number of things that include:
- Regular updates on what’s going on.
- Food and drink, or vouchers to buy them.
- Accommodation (if needed).
- A ‘means of communication’
You are owed a refund
The good news is that if your flight has been cancelled, for whatever reason and for however long before take-off, you have the legal right to choose between the following:
- A refund for the flight that was cancelled.
- OR an alternative flight (airlines call this re-routing) to your destination.
Your compensation rights
Under EU and now UK law, if your flight’s delayed for more than three hours, and it is the airline’s fault, there is a good chance you will be entitled to between £210 and £520 in compensation. The same rule applies to some cancelled flights too.
However, in this case, the weather seems to be at fault – or easyJet is claiming it is at least. Given such things are out of the airline’s control, easyJet is not on required to pay compensation to customers.
Situations when you could claim compensation include:
- The pilot was sick and not replaced.
- The crew or pilot was late.
- The flight was cancelled because of under-booking.
- The airline staff were on strike.
- Technical problems caused by something routine, such as a component failure or general wear and tear.
Your rights if you’re on a package holiday
If your flight is cancelled or delayed and you’ve booked a package holiday, you have the same rights as those who booked the trip themselves. It is well worth contacting your package holiday provider however, as they may be able to offer extra assistance. Also, read the terms and conditions of your trip – there may be additional protection slipped in there.
Travel insurance
The refund and compensation rules apply to all passengers who fly or were due to fly on a UK or EU-regulated flight. That doesn’t preclude you from getting extra coverage through an insurance policy, some of which pay out in the event of delays or cancellations. Make sure to check the terms of your policy.
What have easyJet said?
An easyJet spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, due to the impact of widespread thunderstorms across Northern Europe yesterday, some flights were unable to operate as planned. We did all we could to minimise the impact of the weather disruption on our customers, providing options to rebook or a refund their flights as well as providing hotel accommodation and meals for these who required them. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and while this was outside of our control, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused.”