Thousands of British Airways passengers, includingmany from Ireland, were stranded on Saturday after a major computer systems failure grounded flights.
BA flights to and from Gatwick and Heathrow were cancelled, including three flights from Dublin Airport to Heathrow at 11.05am, 12.50pm and 14.05pm on Saturday.
While airline staff are working to get everything back up and running on Sunday, the knock-on effect of the outage could last days, leading to further delays and cancellations.
If you have been affected by the incident, it’s important to know your rights, and what compensation you are entitled to from British Airways.
The Commission for Aviation Regulation in Ireland has issued guidelines to passengers on what they should expect.
Flight Cancellations
If your flight was one of those cancelled then you are entitled to either a new flight as soon as possible, a flight at a later date which suits you, or a complete refund.
If you choose to take a flight as soon as possible, then the air carrier, in this case British Airways, must look after your needs while you wait.
This includes food and other refreshments. This can be either a refund of items purchased or a voucher provided by the airline.
Hotel accommodation if there are no flights available until the next day; and transport between the hotel and the airport.
You are also entitled to two free phone calls and access to emails.
Flight Delays
If your flight delayed for more than two hours, the airline must provide you with the same assistance as above. If the delay stretches to more than 5 hours, you should be offered the choice of either waiting for the delayed flight or receiving a full refund.
If the airline does not offer you food and accommodation, the Commission for Aviation Regulation advises passengers to keep receipts for their expenses throughout the delay, and submit them to the air carrier for reimbursement.
The commission also states that for both cancellations and long delays, “air carriers should provide affected passengers with written notices setting out their rights and entitlements under EC Regulation 261/ 2004.
“Compensation may also be payable to passengers affected by flight cancellations or long flight delays as a result of this strike action, though passengers are advised that an investigation will be required to determine this.
“In situations where an air carrier is unable to provide a suitable alternative flight and passengers travel at their own expense with an alternative air carrier, the original air carriers liability is limited to a full refund of the original flight costs.”
If you have any questions about your entitlements , you can contact the Commission for Aviation Regulation on 1890 787 787 or (01) 6611700, or visit aviationreg.ie