The world’s fifth busiest airport, London’s Heathrow, closed last Friday following a fire at a nearby electrical station.

Thousands of Irish passengers were affected by the closure, with at least 70 inbound and outland flights from Ireland to Heathrow airport facing disruption.

Flights between Heathrow and Dublin, Cork, Knock, Derry, Belfast and Shannon airports on Friday were all cancelled.

If you have ever been caught up in the chaos of a disrupted flight, you’ll know that it is a stressful experience.

Not only do you have to deal with the inconvenience of having your travel plans turned upside down, maybe missing out on a family gathering or losing a hotel booking, but you also have to wrestle with the administrative burden of chasing airlines to get reimbursed for your flight.

Where to start

In the event of a delayed or cancelled flight, your first port of call should be to contact your airline directly and check their live webpage for information.

When you buy a ticket for air travel, you enter into what is effectively a contract with the airline. They have a responsibility to get you to where you need to go. This means if your flight is delayed or cancelled, airlines have a duty of care and they need to look after you. That includes finding you an alternative flight at no extra cost and giving you meals and accommodation, if necessary.

Air passengers have specific consumer rights under European law, and in Ireland, these rights are enforced by the national civil aviation regulatory, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

Last Friday, it was the IAA who immediately issued advice for passengers affected by the Heathrow airport closure. The EU Regulation 261/2004 applies to all passengers departing from an EU/EEA airport. It also applies to passengers departing from an airport outside of the EU/EEA but arriving at an EU/EEA airport on an EU/EEA licensed carrier.

What am I entitled to if my flight is cancelled?

So, bad news – your flight has been cancelled. But at least your air carrier must offer you the choice between the following options:

Refund the cost of your (unused) flight ticket within seven days.

Re-route you to your final destination as soon as possible.

Re-route you at a later date at your convenience (subject to the availability of seats).

If you choose to be re-routed as soon as possible (option 2), then the air carrier must provide you with care and assistance whilst you are waiting on your alternative flight.

Care and assistance should include:

Meals and refreshments (reasonable in relation to the waiting time).

Hotel accommodation (where an overnight stay becomes necessary).

Transport between the airport and the hotel (where necessary).

Two telephone calls and access to email.

If your airline does not offer care and assistance, make your own arrangements but remember to keep all those receipts. You can later submit copies of these receipts to your air carrier to claim back the costs.

Can I get compensation?

It depends. If you opt for a refund on your flight, the responsibility of the airline ends there because you are no longer their passenger. However, in addition to care, assistance and re-routing or in the case of severe delays, passengers are sometimes entitled to compensation. This is usually when the disruption is the fault of the airline.

You may have seen that no additional compensation was payable in the recent circumstance of the closure of Heathrow airport because the fire was considered outside the control of airlines. If the airline can prove that the cancellation was caused by “extraordinary circumstances”, no extra compensation is payable.

What am I entitled to if my flight is delayed?

There are two factors that determine whether your delayed flight comes within the terms of EU law.

First, the distance of the route and second, the length of your delay. The following flights are covered by the law:

Delays of two hours or more in the case of flights of 1,500km or less.

Delays of three hours or more in the case of all flights within the EU of more than 1,500 km, and all other flights between 1,500km and 3,500 km.

Delays of four hours or more in the case of all other flights.

If your delay is covered by the law, your airline must also provide you with the care and assistance described above.

If your flight is delayed by more than five hours, you should be offered the choice between continuing with your journey or a refund for the cost of your ticket. Passengers cannot continue to fly and get a full refund. Where relevant, you may also be able to get a return flight to your first point of departure.

If you’re still unsure about what you’re entitled to, the IAA has a comprehensive website with plenty of details about air passenger rights and the appropriate numbers to call.

See iaa.ie