Iceland volcano - travel insurance and your rights My travel rights
You will be entitled to assistance if your flight is delayed or cancelled
Our online guide explains what you can do to protect yourself and where you have protection under the law.
1. My rights at the airport
The law gives consumers some immediate protection at an airport as a result of the Denied Boarding Regulations. If your flight is delayed an airline is obliged to provide:
- two free phone calls
- free meals and refreshments
- accommodation if an overnight stay is required
Assuming you are departing from an EU airport and you've checked in, you could be entitled to more if your flight is cancelled. As well as the assistance listed above, you should also be entitled to:
- a refund within seven days of the full cost of the flight
- re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity
- re-routing to your final destination at a later date convenient to you
If your flight wasn't direct and was cancelled part-way through you are entitled to a flight back to your original departure point, as well as a full refund for the cost of your flight.
Ask the airline what you're entitled to
Be careful not to purchase items expecting your airline to reimburse you. They're obliged to offer you basic refreshments if you're delayed so don't go for a luxury dinner hoping you'll be reimbursed. If you need to buy anything make sure you keep all your receipts.
Companies will only pay for 'reasonable' out-of-pocket expenses. If there's a special reason why you think that a particular claim item is reasonable, make this clear - for example, if you need medication or have specific dietary requirements.
2. Check your insurance
Am I covered?
If you're due to travel and have travel insurance already in place, you'll need to check the fine print of your policy to see if they exclude adverse weather conditions. Many insurance companies will have amended their polices in light of the crisis last year.
In our latest Which? survey, of the 82 insurers who responded, 27 said they cover adverse weather, including ash clouds, as standard. Ten insurers said you can add cover for eventualities like an ash crisis as an optional extra.
Unless your policy specifically states that it excludes delays caused by ash clouds, you may be able to make a claim. The Financial Ombudsman Service recently ruled that the ash cloud counts as 'bad weather'- so if you have your claim turned down, you may be able to make a successful appeal to the Financial Ombudsman.
Is it too late to get insurance?
It's never too late to get insurance – you should always have travel insurance when going on holiday to protect you, your belongings and your health.
However, if you're due to travel in the upcoming days or weeks, you're highly unlikely to find an insurance company who will cover you for insurance claims related to the ash crisis as the ash cloud is now a known risk.
You may find your flight is simply delayed and you can make your journey, in which case, not having travel insurance will leave you vulnerable for the remainder of your holiday or trip.
3. Making alternative plans
It might seem sensible to make your own travel arrangements to avoid flying but be sure to check what your airline is offering. If you don't take the airline up on their alternative travel arrangements, they're unlikely to reimburse you for any additional expenses you incur as a result – nor may your travel insurance provider.
4. Top tips
Download our free iPhone Consumer Rights app so you've travel rights information at your fingertips.
- Take a photograph of the departure board detailing your delay or cancellation. It might prove helpful when complaining to an airline or making an insurance claim.
- If your airline's website confirms they're not flying, take a screen shot or print out so you've a record of this.
