Airlines could owe you compensation for delayed flights

Delayed airline passengers are potentially missing out on millions of pounds of compensation, according to an investigation by Which?.

As part of its research, Which? found that Gatwick was the worst airport in the UK for delays of three hours or more, with 2,134 flights affected over the 12 months to May.

It found only four in 10 (38%) people claimed compensation following a delay, which it said suggests consumers could be missing out on millions of pounds.

Which? are urging people to hold their airline to account and claim the compensation they are rightly owed if they have a lengthy delay.

Passengers are not eligible for compensation if flights are delayed by bad weather, strikes or security alerts.

A Which? report reveals that some 1000 flights in Scotland were delayed for three hours or more in the past year, with over 90,000 potentially eligible for compensation.

Which? also surveyed more than 7,000 of its members to find out more about their experience of flying with an airline from a UK airport.

The amount you receive depends on how long you were kept waiting – passengers delayed for more than three hours could claim up to 600 euros (£422).

Pakistan worldwide Airlines, Air India or American Airlines were named as the long-haul operators with the largest number of delays longer than three hours.

Passengers have told us that some airlines are failing to provide the right information about compensation entitlement and are dragging their feet over payouts.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd, said: “Flight delays are a disappointing and stressful reality for people travelling overseas this summer”.

It is one of the most annoying things about going on holiday.

Which? said easyJet, BA and Ryanair, which operated almost half of all flights from the UK during the period, accounted for 44 per cent of delays longer than three hours.

The consumer group conducted the investigation by analysing data for 1.7m flights over the past year and its calculations are based on data from the Civil Aviation Authority.