Your rights if Spain and Portugal’s storms have delayed or cancelled your flight

If you’re heading to
Spain
or
Portugal
for a
sunny getaway
This weekend, you could end up feeling let down.

As the UK enjoys temperatures of 24C,
orange alerts
for storms and
rain
have been released by AEMET, Spain’s
weather
agency.

Moreover, the bad weather is already creating problems for vacationers, with flights being delayed or rerouted.

On Friday evening,
Palma
The airport experienced disruptions, with several Ryanair and EasyJet flights being delayed for over an hour.

On Saturday, the weather will affect other regions of Spain including
Catalonia
, Castile, Valencia, and the eastern regions of Andalusia.

People traveling to the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Mallorca, should anticipate gusty winds and potential thunderstorms.

Portugal’s Madeira also has orange weather alerts active due to heavy rainfall.

Is it possible for me to cancel my vacation due to unfavorable weather conditions?

You could do that, but it’s very improbable that you’ll manage to recover any expenses.

Should your reserved flight or vacation remain set to proceed according to schedule, standard cancellation policies will still be enforced—this implies you could forfeit part, if not all, of what you have paid.

What are my entitlements if my flight gets canceled?

Should you decide to proceed with your journey despite the weather conditions only for your flight to be canceled, remember that you do possess certain consumer rights at this juncture.

According to the
Civil Aviation Authority
, UK and EU airlines must look after you if your flight is delayed or cancelled.

This includes everything from meals and accommodation to an alternative flight if necessary.

Citizen’s Advice says
that airlines should also give impacted passengers access to phone calls and emails and, if they offer you a play to stay, organise the journeys between the hotel and the airport.

Sometimes, the airline will cover this by handing you vouchers at the airport. When in doubt, keep any receipts for expenses and claim them back afterwards from the airliner.

But an airliner will only cough up money for ‘reasonable’ expenses. The hotel minibar or penthouse suites likely can’t be expensed.

If your booking isn’t with a UK or EU airline, make sure to review their terms and conditions. Generally speaking, however, airlines typically offer meals and accommodations when needed.

When will I be qualified for this assistance?

Your eligibility for the aforementioned points depends on both the length of your flight and the duration of your wait.

• For journeys up to 1,500 kilometers lasting two hours or less, you should wait at least two hours before proceeding.
• For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours) it’s three hours or more.
• For flights longer than 3,500 kilometers lasting four hours or more, the duration is four hours or more.

If my flight gets canceled, am I eligible for a refund?

If your flight falls under UK legislation, you have the option to request a refund for the canceled flight or be rescheduled onto an alternate route.

All portions of your ticket that remain unused qualify for a refund. Therefore, if you were traveling back from Heathrow on a round trip and only the outward-bound segment was canceled, you would be able to receive a refund for that portion of the journey.

You usually receive your refund within about seven days.

But not everyone is up for being stuck mid-layover. If you still want to travel, your airline must find a way to get you to your destination.

This can include, say, if another airliner is flying to where you need to go soon or if there’s another form of transport you can take. All at no extra cost.

I booked a package holiday, what are my rights?

Check if the company you booked with is a member of ABTA, a trade association for tour operators and travel agents.

It has a guide
here
on what you can do if your flight has been cancelled.

Is it possible for me to receive additional compensation?

‘Extraordinary circumstances,’ as defined by the law, may encompass events such as fires, bird strikes, aircraft malfunctions, or adverse weather conditions.

However, none of these entities entitled passengers to additional compensation, according to the consumer watchdog.
Which? says
They’re mostly seen as beyond the airline’s influence.

In other situations though, the narrative changes. If your trip is affected by staffing issues, strikes by airline personnel, or if adverse weather caused delays on preceding flights leading to your delay, you still retain various legal entitlements.

The benefits you’re entitled to depend on the reason for the flight cancellation and how much advance notice the airline provided.

This may vary from £220 for short-haul trips, £350 for mid-haul journeys, and £520 for long-haul routes.

What about unused accommodation?

Some expenses may require upfront payment. However, you could potentially get reimbursed later.

This may involve unutilized lodging, in which case you’ll have to reach out to your credit card issuer or a travel insurance company.

Up to 94% of travel insurance policies cover trip cancellation due to abandonment, but only 30% provide coverage for broader travel disruptions, according to analysts.
Defaqto
.

Travel insurance does not compensate for lost wages when a delayed or canceled flight prevents you from working.

Would you like to share a tale?

Reach out via email
[email protected]
.

For even more unmissable travel news, features and inspiration in your inbox each week, sign up to ‘s The Getaway newsletter.