Martin Lewis has shared some insight to UK households about a topic that is often overlooked. Have any of your flights been significantly delayed over the past six years?
Martin Lewis has issued a warning to some UK households that they could be owed hundreds of pounds without realising it.
The issue concerns flight compensation, as thanks to an EU regulation which the UK retained following Brexit, passengers are frequently entitled to financial recompense after significant flight delays. While many will be familiar with this, there’s some fine print that may have slipped past certain people’s notice.
Speaking on This Morning, Martin outlined the regulations to presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard during Tuesday’s show. He said: “Did anyone have a flight delay or cancellation this summer? Or actually, the law says you can go back six years, except in Scotland where it is five years.
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“So if you’ve had this happen to you during this time, except in certain circumstances, you are entitled to a fixed amount of compensation.
“£520 per person, so a family of four is over a grand, depending on the length of flight and the length of the delay and some other things. First of all, it has to be a UK or EU-regulated flight. That is, any flight leaving the UK or European airport, that is pretty simple.”
He added: “Then for a delay to count you have to have arrived, not left, three hours late. So when they open the doors of the plane. Cancellation rules, they have to have cancelled less than 14 days before the flight. If it’s more, it’s deemed that you have more time to organise.”
“If it’s less, then it depends on when the replacement flight would’ve landed, what you’re entitled to. You’ll need to look that up. There are free tools online that’ll do this for you, you do not need to pay.”
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Martin went on: “The final thing is it must be the airline’s fault, which is much broader than it may sound. If it is a weather issue, if it is air traffic control, if the airport shuts down, it’s not the airline’s fault.
“If it is staffing problems for the airlines, technical problems for the airlines, if it is a knock-on impact that means your flight is delayed, it is generally the airline’s fault.”
He continued: “Or any flight arriving to a UK or EU airport, but then it has to be a UK or EU airline. Easiest way to think of that, British Airways from New York to London is EU regulated, American Airlines from New York to London is not.”
Wrapping up his guidance, Martin tackled whether or not people should pursue claims. He finished: “It’s a slight moral thing. If you were three hours and one minute late, sat in the airport bar, having a great time, I wouldn’t bother.
“We don’t want airlines to go bust. If you were 12 hours late, the kids were sleeping on the floor, it was an absolute disaster, go get your money.”