Heathrow arrivals and Heathrow departures, what to do when your flight has been delayed or cancelled?
Here's some important information that may be good to keep in mind if you will be departing from London Heathrow airport or if you are picking someone up from Heathrow; to make sure you don't run into unnecessary disturbances.
Heathrow arrivals and Heathrow departures: To check current flight schedules, visit:
Heathrow arrivals and Heathrow departures: the basics
Before you leave your home or hotel to head to the airport, it's always smart to check the current flight schedule to see if any disturbances have been announced. Airlines will usually try to inform passengers of a delay or cancellation, but many delays will occur at the last moment, so not all passengers will be able to be informed about the delay or cancellation before arriving at the airport. So, whenever you get the chance, don't rely too heavily on the airline to let you know of any changes and check current flight schedules.
If your flight is among those that have been delayed or cancelled, make sure to contact the airline as soon as possible, as it could be that it's required of passengers to have checked in at the check in desk even though the flight has been delayed. Furthermore, don't forget that you are entitled to claim compensation for your flight's delay or cancellation. If you want to learn more about your rights as a passenger click the button below!
Flight delayed or cancelled? check to see if you can claim compensation!
You could be entitled to compensation if your flight was delayed on arrival to or departure from Heathrow airport. If you're already at the airport at the time the announcement of the flight delay or cancellation, you should ask the airline for a statement of delay. This is a form or a piece of paper that states what the scheduled flight times were and what the new times of departure and arrival will be. You may need this information in writing later on, for instance for your travel insurance.
The second thing to ask is for meals and refreshments. In the European Union, there are rules that determine when air passengers have the right to care. However, this is not always given to the passengers that don't ask for it. You should receive care if your flight is delayed in departure by 2 or more hours on flights fewer than 1,500 kilometres; for longer flights this limit is set at 3 hours (1,500-3,500 kilometres) or 4 hours (3,500 kilometres or over). Besides food and drinks, this care also includes communication facilities, hotel accommodation and transportation to the hotel, if applicable.
It's important to keep in mind that airlines are legally required to inform air passengers of their rights in writing. If the airline fails to do this, it doesn't influence your rights and entitlements, but you may be asked to answer this question at some point later on.
Tips for claiming compensation for a delayed or cancelled flight from London Heathrow
Once you arrive back home, find out if are entitled to receive compensation from the airline. Whether you are entitled to receive compensation depends on a few factors:
- Did you experience a delay of over (or three hours exactly)?
- Did your flight depart from an airport within the European Union?
- If your flight departed from a non-EU airport, but you arrived at an airport outside the EU, is the airline that was responsible for operating your flight based in the EU?
- Were extraordinary circumstances the cause of the delay or cancellation of your flight?
The amount of compensation is determined by these criteria:
- for all flights of 1,500 kilometres or less: compensation of EUR 250 (± £219);
- for all intra-community flights of more than 1,500 kilometres and for all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometres: compensation of EUR 400 (± £351);
- for all other flights that do not fall under (A) or (B): compensation of EUR 600 (± £526).
Filing a claim on your own requires knowing your rights, being sure that the flight is eligible and back and forth communication with the airline. As carriers at times go to great lengths to evade paying compensation, certain claims then even have to go to court. If you would prefer not to waste your time and test your patience, just let us know as we would be more than happy to assist you herewith. With an elaborate database on actual flight schedules and weather conditions, years of experience and a 98% success rate in court, we're more than well equipped to take on your claim. Did we forget to mention our no win, no fee structure? If we need to take your case further to court, we'll take on all of the risk and legal fees. Only if you get paid will we charge a fee. For more details, visit our Price List page.
If you have questions that you would like to find the answer to before you submit your flight details, you can also go to our page of Frequently Asked Questions.
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