Your compensation rights as air traffic control chaos causes 'delays for days'

Brits face having their holidays thrown into chaos as chaos caused by air traffic issues could roll on for days

Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Stansted, Newcastle, Manchester, Gatwick, Heathrow and Luton were among the airports affected when the NATS air traffic control system crashed yesterday, with all outbound international flights temporarily grounded and more than100 flights cancelled.

Heidi Alexander, the Transport Minister, said “continued disruption is expected” and urged passengers to “check with individual airports for advice”. She will sit down with Martin Rolfe, the boss of NATS, to delve into the cause of the issue and discuss measures to avoid future incidents. That comes as Brits speak of the chaos they've been swept up in.

Have you been impacted by a delayed or cancelled flight? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

READ MORE: UK flights LIVE: Heathrow and Gatwick chaos sees Brits face DAYS of delays

READ MORE: Manchester Airport trial: Police chief says officers 'are bloodied and bruised' after assaults

The latest data from flight analysts Cirium show that a total of 87 departures were cancelled from UK airports yesterday — equating to 3% of all departures — with 75 arrivals also grounded. A number of inbound flights to UK airports were also diverted to other European cities yesterday. London Heathrow saw the highest number of cancellations, with a total of 30 departures and 20 arrivals cancelled.

In a sign of the knock-on impact of the disruption, 12 departures have been cancelled departing UK airports today, with a further 11 arrivals cancelled.

Airlines are clamouring for explanations as countless passengers faced significant setbacks while trying to travel in and out of the UK. The disruption was traced back to a "technical issue" at NATS's Swanwick centre in Hampshire, the company confirmed.

NATS alerted the public to the problem around 4pm on Wednesday, and by 5pm, it updated that systems were back up and running, with flight departures resuming at all affected airports. Ryanair has demanded Mr Rolfe's resignation following the glitch, criticising the lack of progress since a similar system failure in August 2023.

Neal McMahon, the airline's chief operating officer, expressed his outrage, stating: "It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of NATS." Business minister Gareth Thomas was questioned about whether Mr Rolfe would be "fired" over the incident.

Whoever is at fault and whatever the reason for the outage, the impact on holidaymakers is long waits for flights and, in the worst chaos, cancelled holidays.

Can I get a refund?

If your flight is delayed or cancelled, the good news is that you are entitled to care and assistance while you wait, which means food and drink and the ability to make phone calls, plus accommodation and the necessary transfers if the flight is delayed until the next day.

Many airlines will offer vouchers for you to buy food and drink, and overnight accommodation will typically take the form of a nearby hotel. It may prove difficult to claim such vouchers, however, as airlines will be very busy at this time and there may be long waits to get through on phone lines.

When it comes to refunds, you can claim money back on all parts of the ticket you haven't used — so the inbound or outbound leg.

If your flight has been cancelled and you are leaving from or travelling to a UK airport, your airline must offer you the choice of an alternative flight or a refund. If you select an alternative flight, you can choose to fly as soon as possible or at a later date.

Can I claim compensation?

Unfortunately not. However, regular traffic control outages may seem, they are considered an extraordinary circumstance.

Daniel McAfee, head of legal operations at Lawhive, explains: “Under UK and EU regulations (UK Regulation 261/2004), airlines are generally not obligated to pay compensation for cancellations or delays caused by extraordinary circumstances. Air traffic control issues fall under this category, meaning passengers are not entitled to compensation for the inconvenience."

I've got a flight booked this week — what should I do?

While there is disruption today, it seems likely that the knock-on impact will have eased considerably come Friday.

If you are concerned about being stuck at the airport or abroad, contact your airline or holiday provider for the latest updates on your flight. You can also search for your flight using the flight number. This should give you the most up-to-date information on its status.