Domestic flight cancellations almost doubled during post-pandemic travel chaos

There were almost twice as many last-minute domestic flight cancellations in the three months after mass travel restarted this year, compared with the same period in 2019.

In just 13 weeks – between 4 April and 3 July – 1,397 domestic flights were scrapped with less than 48 hours' notice, according to data from aviation analysts OAG.

That was almost double the figure for the same period in 2019 (727 domestic flights), despite there being fewer flights overall. 

Most of those people would have been eligible for £220 compensation – as would many thousands more who had their flights cancelled within 14 days of departure – but government plans mean that may not be the case in future.

Could your flight compensation be slashed?

Passengers are usually entitled to compensation, as well as either a refund or rerouting, thanks to EU legislation that has been retained in UK law. 

The only exception is when cancellations are caused by ‘exceptional circumstances’, such as air traffic delays or unusually extreme weather conditions. The idea is not just to compensate travellers, but also to provide a strong incentive for airlines to avoid cancelling flights.

However, the government has suggested capping compensation for domestic flights at the cost of passenger tickets. Based on the average ticket price for a domestic UK flight, this would be around £57 – meaning passengers would get £163 less than they currently do. For some routes we looked at, the average price was even lower.

Scotland and Northern Ireland hit hardest by reducing compensation

Our research shows that if plans to cut compensation go ahead, people living in Scotland and Northern Ireland will be disproportionately affected. 

That's because flights between Scotland and London account for five of the ten busiest UK routes - while the other five are between Northern Ireland and London.

Which? Travel is campaigning to support passenger rights, give the regulator more power and make the government drop the proposal to cut flight delay compensation. We can’t allow compensation rules to work in favour of the airlines. Sign our petition if you agree.

What are the flight compensation rules?

If you booked a flight that departed from the UK or Europe, or was with a UK or European airline, you're protected by the Denied Boarding Regulation – EC Regulation 261/2004. 

It provides for £220 compensation for short-haul flights and up to £520 for long-haul. It applies if your flight is significantly delayed or cancelled, as well as if you’re refused permission to board without good reason.

You can see more information here on when and how to claim flight compensation and use our free flight compensation calculator here.

Domestic flight cancellations remain high

It’s clear from global travel data provider OAG that things improved in August and cancellation rates in the past couple of weeks have been similar to 2019.

However, the most recent figures show 2,769 domestic flights had already been cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice up to mid-August 2022, compared with 3,323 for the whole of 2019.

Will the government slash payments for cancelled flights?

The Department for Transport's proposed scheme currently only mentions flight delays, but says it’s consulting on introducing changes for cancellations and denied boarding compensation, too.

Under its scheme for flight delays, more people would be able to claim as compensation rights would extend to delays of just an hour, but for much lower amounts. For an average-priced ticket, passengers might be claiming for as little as £14. This would barely cover the cost of getting to the airport. It’s likely that many would not bother, unless it’s made much easier to claim. 

This is despite the fact that airline terms and conditions typically state they don’t have to pay expenses for the consequence of cancellations or delays, for example a lost hotel or leisure activity booking. 

In theory statutory compensation should partly compensate for these kinds of losses. See more about the government’s plans and what they could mean for your flight compensation here.