Flight delay due to snow compensation: Do you have a right to a refund if your flight is delayed - as snow continues to disrupt flights from UK airports

This morning (Tuesday 7 January) Bristol Airport was temporarily closed for the second time due to the weather, just like Manchester Airport yesterday morning that was forced to close again due to the same matter. Flights are still delayed at airports across the UK after the closures and the heavy snow.

Delays and cancellations can be an aggravating part of any holiday, but the rights for compensation will usually depend on whether the issue is the fault of airline, such as mechanical issues and staff shortages. If your flight is a non-UK flight that is part of a connection to a UK flight, then you can still claim if you are delayed for more than three hours, you booked the flights as a single booking, and the delay is the airlines fault.

If your flight results in a delay of longer than three hours from the original departure time, this will mean your flight is covered under the same UK law as if your flight was cancelled and will be entitled to the same amount of compensation as a cancellation, depending on the length of the flight route. Your airline must legally provide you with food and drink (usually in the form of vouchers), access to communication and if your flight is delayed overnight then you are entitled to free accommodation, including free transport links to the hotel and back to the airport, if your delay is deemed long enough:

• Short-haul (<1500km) - 2 hours

• Medium-haul (1500-3500km) - 3 hours

• Long-haul (>3500km) - 4 hours

Your airline provider should normally contact you regarding any potential arrangements during your extended delay, whether that’s directly from the boarding gate, or relayed on email. If you fail to hear from them, you should make your way to the boarding gate and speak to the airline staff.

You should file any compensation claims directly with the airline provider, who will have a section on their website with a claims form and any instructions you need to complete it. If you feel as though your claim isn’t getting anywhere, or is even denied wrongfully, then you should check whether your provider is a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) on the Civil Aviation Authorities’ website - if they are, then you can make a complaint directly to them. Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air are all members of the scheme.

Are you eligible for compensation due to snow?

Matthew Hall, Managing Director for the airport transfers app hoppa shares what you are entitled to. He said airlines don't always have to provide a refund on flights, particularly those affected by factors outside their control. Extreme weather such as snowy or icy weather, ground staff strikes, and as seen last year with the Air Traffic Control chaos, all make up factors outside of their control and you would not be eligible for compensation in these circumstances.

If your new flight (after cancellation) departs less than an hour before the original flight time and arrives within than two hours of the scheduled time you are also not entitled to any compensation. You may be able to claim reasonable expenses back from the airline if seriously affected, such as food, drink and accommodation whilst waiting for a new flight – but as each airline has different perceptions of extraordinary circumstances, it is best to check directly with them as it is not always a given.

If your flight has been delayed or cancelled as a result of bad weather, your airline has some obligations to you. The Civil Aviation Authority says that if there is a “lengthy delay”, airlines should “look after their passengers, including providing food and drink, and accommodation if overnight”.