What to do if my flight is delayed?

There’s nothing like a delayed flight to ruin the trip morale before your holidays have even begun. However, there’s no need to panic – all is not lost, and this inconvenience might just be a blessing in disguise! What? Don’t believe me? Read along if you want to know why the delayed flight you thought was lame might just be the silver lining… 

Okay, so your flight is delayed — now what? 

First things first — if your flight is delayed by 2 hours, walk yourself to the airline counter and ask for a meal voucher (which they have to provide according to the EU261). This, as well as accommodation, and transport when necessary, is known as your ‘right to care’. 

Secondly, if your flight is delayed by 3 or more hours, there are some pretty good odds that you could be entitled to flight compensation of up to 520 pounds! To know for sure, it is important to know why your flight is delayed to begin with. So, go back to the counter and ask the nice people why your flight is delayed. 

If the reason for your flight delay is anything that you think you could blame the airline for (or that they could have avoided) like cabin crew strikes, staff shortages, airline operational issues, aircraft technical problems, etc., you are most likely entitled to flight compensation for your delayed flight.

Ok, so now you know your rights in the event of a delayed flight – now what? 

Now, if you think you’re eligible for compensation, submit your flight info while you have it on hand via Flight-Delayed.co.uk before you do anything else. This step takes approximately 3–5 minutes, but once it’s done, it’s done, and you can put it out of your mind.

All there is left to do is sit back and relax. Are you clinically unable to sit still? We get it… maybe download a movie, talk to a stranger, read a book, go get some snacks (on the airline), doom-scroll on TikTok, go search for the piano and wait for someone to play (or show off our own skills, Chopin), check for any ongoing art-exhibits, read about flight/airport horror stories and relish in the misery of others to make yourself feel better, finally justify getting a neck pillow or that Gucci Flora tax-free, and go pee before it's too late! 

Lastly, avoid your watch like the plague – remember, a watched pot never boils!

Have you reached ultimate boredom? Good news is: there's no brighter mind than a bored one! Tell us about your flight misfortunes below so we can support you through your bore-a-palooza - odds are we'll get back to you with a story so bad it'll put yours right to bed ;)