Holidaymakers were rocked today after a "network-wide failure" of UK air traffic control systems sparked travel chaos.
The issue has resulted in flights being cancelled or delayed in what is one of the busiest days of the year for UK airports. National Air Traffic Services confirmed that the has issue has now been "identified and remedied".
However, Good Morning Britain's travel expert Simon Calder has warned the disruption following the outage will continue for the week. He told Sky News: "I'm afraid experience tells us something like this is not going to end quickly, it's going to be very messy.""
Easyjet has issued a statement and confirmed it is offering customers on cancelled flights refunds. A statement said: "We are providing customers on cancelled flights with the option to transfer their flight free of charge or receive a refund and recommend that all passengers flying with us today, regardless of their destination, check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker."
In a separate update, Ryanair said: "All affected passengers will be notified of their options to change flights (free of charge) to another Ryanair flight or receive a full refund. We sincerely apologise for this UK ATC failure which is beyond Ryanair's control and is affecting all airlines operating to/from the UK today, Mon 28 Aug." [sic]
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) explained what passengers can do if their flight has been delayed. It said: "Airlines do their best to avoid disruption and delays to your journey. However, sometimes problems do occur. As a consumer you have important legal rights when the flight you are booked on is delayed, cancelled or when you are denied boarding."
If your flight is cancelled or delayed, the CAA said airlines must provide you with care and assistance which includes a reasonable amount of food and drink, communication, accommodation and transport to accommodation. The website added: "The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it."
However, some airlines may not be able to offer this due to staffing problems, in this case, you can organise reasonable care and assistance yourself and then claim the costs back later as long as you keep a receipt and "do not spend more than is reasonable". The CAA states: "Airlines are unlikely to refund you for things like luxury hotels or alcohol."
You may be able to claim compensation depending on the cause for cancellation. If it is not the airline's fault, such as the weather or air traffic control strikes, you will not be eligible for compensation. If your new flight departs no more than two hours before the scheduled time of your original flight and your new flight arrives less than four hours after the scheduled time of your original flight, you are also not entitled to financial compensation.
The CAA states that you may also be entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed and you arrive at your destination more than three hours late. However again, if it is due to "extraordinary circumstances", you will not be eligible. The CAA added: "If you are a transfer passenger and missed your connection flight because your first flight was delayed, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point."
If a flight is cancelled, airlines must let you choose between receiving a refund or choosing an alternative flight. The full list of potential compensation costs can be found here.
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