Top Reasons Why Flights are Delayed or Cancelled

Flight cancellations and delays are not as uncommon as you probably think. They happen due to several reasons and may eventually affect other perfectly laid out plans for your trip. No one enjoys dealing with interrupted flights but it happens anyway. A report from 2018 shows the UK to have experienced the second-highest number of flight delays and disruptions of any country in Europe. Many times, passengers feel helpless and have no choice but to wait out a delay or figure out the next steps after a cancellation.

However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. You can get compensated for flight delays or cancellations, so long as the reason for the disruption is within the airline’s control. In this article, we will point you to some of the top reasons why flights get delayed or cancelled to keep you informed.

1. Air Traffic Control (ATC) restrictions

Air traffic has grown over the years and there’s a huge difference between the traffic today and what we had in the 80s. To control the number of airplanes in the skies at a time and to ensure safety, restrictions in air traffic control are likely to happen. This is to ensure that aircraft don’t collide in the air. Longer flights tend to experience more restrictions, as they are regulated more carefully due to the number of hours they have to keep flying. If your flight is delayed or cancelled as a result of this, the airline may not be obligated to compensate you, as it is not completely within their control.

2. Adverse weather conditions

Adverse weather conditions are some of the common reasons for flight delays and conditions, as the skies need to be safe enough for aircraft to fly. This often causes last-minute flight disruptions. While this may be a valid excuse for airlines, not all weather conditions have a huge impact on flights. So, unless it’s heavy fog or more extreme conditions such as tornadoes, blizzards, and hurricanes, you may still be entitled to delayed or cancelled flight compensation.

3. Knock-on effects

Knock-on effects are also referred to as rotational delays. This happens when subsequent flights are delayed or cancelled as a result of a disruption on a previous flight. It causes a ripple effect on other flights and automatically, your flight could get affected. In this case, it is the fault of the airline and you should get duly compensated.

Get Compensated for a Disrupted Flight

The EU 261/2004 regulation, also referred to as the flight cancellation compensation, can help you if your flight ever gets disrupted. Under this law, you may be entitled to compensation worth €250 – €600. This applies if you were delayed for more than 3 hours or your flight got cancelled and you weren’t notified at least 14 days before the departure date. You also have access to complimentary food and drinks for a delay of at least two hours and a free hotel booking for an overnight stay at the airport.

Know the reason for the flight disruption and you can take further steps to claim compensation under the EU 261 law.