Lifestyle Trend: What are your rights if your flight is cancelled as airspace across Middle East closes? You Should Know

As the conflict continues between Iran, the US and Israel, a huge portion of the global airspace has been shut down.

With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, many Brits have seen their flights delayed or cancelled both in the UK and in other countries. As many people are currently being impacted by the conflict, it is important to know your rights when it comes to air travel.

As the impact continues to spread across the region, a huge section of the global airspace has been shut down completely. With airports being closed in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Middle East, many holiday makers have been left facing uncertainty.

The current air travel chaos has been described as the worst experienced since the pandemic. As attacks continue, easyJet announced it has cancelled flights between the UK and two Cyprus airports, while operations at three major airports linking Africa, Europe, and the West to Asia have also been suspended.

On top of this, on March 1 Emirates airline was forced to temporarily suspend all of its operations to and from Dubai until 3pm UAE (11am GMT) on March 3. This impacted both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, with all flights being cancelled.

While a recent update had confirmed that Emirates will start a limited number of flights from tonight (March 2), both Scottish airports are not included in this update.

At the moment, the Foreign Office is advising British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and UAE to register their presence to the UK Government so that they can receive direct travel updates and be contacted in an emergency. It has been reported that 102,000 of 300,000 Brits in the Gulf countries have registered.

As it is still unknown when this conflict will subside, it is important that Brits know their rights when it comes to travelling and what to do if their flights do end up being delayed or cancelled. As this is a troubling time, it is important to remember that airlines will do what they can to make sure their passengers travel safely.

Due to the current conflict in the Middle East, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has updated its guidance on compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled.

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Will I receive compensation if my flight is impacted by conflict?

Typically, passengers are by UK law entitled to compensation if their flight has been delayed for a significant amount of time. However, this length can vary between airlines and usually corresponds to several hours.

Additionally, if a flight is cancelled less than 14 days before you are due to depart, the airline should give you compensation based on the length of the journey.

However, these rights are only applicable if the delay or cancellation is the fault of the airline. As the ongoing conflict could be considered an “extraordinary circumstance”, the CAA states that compensation is highly unlikely. Instead, passengers will need to look into getting a refund or rebooking.

If you are flying with a UK or EU carrier to or from the UK, the CAA says that “your airline will be required by law to get you home and look after you while you wait by providing meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation proportionate to the length of time you are delayed.”

In order to get passengers home, the airline is required to find you an alternative flight. This should be at the earliest opportunity or at a later date at your convenience, but this is also subject to availability.

However, due to the major disruption of the airspace shutting down in some areas, this may not happen as quickly as many would like.

Additionally, if your airline is unable to proactively offer you care or a suitable replacement flight, the CAA expects them to reimburse you for any reasonable costs you occur. However, passengers could avoid making excessive costs and should keep receipts.

But if you choose to no longer travel with the UK or EU airline and your flight has been cancelled, you have the option of receiving a full refund. This choice needs to be confirmed with the airline, who will aim to have the refund to you in seven days.

It is important to note that these UK passenger rights will not apply to non-UK or non-EU air carriers if taken to travel to the UK.

Other rights of air travellers

For those unsure of their rights when travelling, managing director of hoppa Chris Harrington has shared some handy advice.

When you first find out that your flight is cancelled, Harrington advises that you contact the airline you have booked with. However, he does warn that many people will also be doing the same thing at the airport, so it may be best to use the airline’s app or ring customer service.

He also states that it is important to see what alternative plans the airline can create for you. He says: “When you manage to speak to a member of staff, see if they can rebook you on a later flight. You may also want to consider opting for an alternative route or flying to another airport close to your final destination.

“It’s important to understand that the airline can book you a flight through a different provider, so make them aware of this.”

Finally, Harrington also stresses the importance of purchasing travel insurance when you book a trip abroad as it can help protect you from instances such as cancelled flights.

He explained: “If your flight has been cancelled, check your travel insurance documents as some policies will cover the cost of hotels, airport transfers, alternative flights, and food.

“It’s also worthwhile enquiring with your airline about vouchers for cancelled flights, as many offer them for passengers to find accommodation and cover the cost of food.”