As the nation’s airways remain empty, millions of passengers whose flights have been affected by an Icelandic volcano may struggle to gain compensation, experts have warned.
Thursday 15 April was the first time in British aviation history that all flights entering and departing British airspace were grounded, as travelling volcanic ash from Iceland threatened passenger safety.
Those passengers left out of pocket would be able to claim compensation for cancellations under certain circumstances, for example strike action. If an airline cancels a flight within 14 days of travel or passengers experience significant delays, it is required under EU law to compensate its customers.
However, as volcanic activity is out of the airlines' control it is unlikely they will award redress for flights cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances.
But, where tickets have been purchased with a credit card it may be possible under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to claim flight compensation from card providers.
Under Section 75, refunds can be sought for products costing between £100 and £30,000. The purchase has to have been made on a single product or booking, therefore multiple flights are not covered, but Section 75 can be applied if a credit card was only partially used during purchasing, for example, £100 of a £300 flight.
Alternatively, some travel insurance firms will offer payment protection for cancelled flights, but individual policies will dictate the level of compensation, if any, available.
While ash continues to dominate the sky line, the future remains unclear for airline passengers. The disruption has already cost airlines £30m and those left holding their tickets have been told to ring affected travel firms and card providers before seeking compensation.