Eastern Airways: Your rights if your flight is delayed or cancelled

Passengers travelling with Eastern Airways have been urged not to go to the airport after the airline suspended operations on Monday.

The Humberside-based carrier cancelled all of its flights yesterday, the aviation regulator confirmed. It now looks set to be the latest regional airline to go bust, followingFlybe and BMI Regional.

The airline flew to destinations including Aberdeen, Humberside, Gatwick, Newquay, Teesside International and Wick John O’Groats, according to its website.

A statement from the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: ‘Eastern Airways, which operated regional services from airports across the United Kingdom, has suspended operations.

‘All Eastern Airways-operated flights are now cancelled. Therefore, please do not go to the airport as flights will not be operating.

‘Eastern Airways customers are therefore urged to make their own alternative travel arrangements via other airlines, rail or coach operators.’

If your flight has been disrupted, here’s everything you need to know.

Rescue flights

In this case, fellow regional carrier LoganAir has stepped in to relieve some of the disruption.

The Scottish carrier has confirmed it will offer a special ‘rescue fare’ on some of its routes in a bid to ease the impact on Eastern Airways passengers.

A spokesperson said: ‘Following widespread speculation concerning Eastern Airways operations, we’re stepping in to support passengers in any way we can.

‘As part of our commitment to keeping the islands connected, we’re introducing a special rescue fare on our Aberdeen/Kirkwall and Aberdeen/Sumburgh routes to assist affected Eastern Airways customers in reaching their destinations with minimal disruption.’

This will be welcome news to the many offshore workers who commute via Eastern Airways routes. Eastern has been crucial to the North Sea offshore oil and gas industry for years, flying between UK cities with a significant presence in the sector.

Eastern Airways staff have also been invited to contact LoganAir as their jobs are cast into doubt.

In response to the suspension of operations, the CAA has said that London North Eastern Railway, ScotRail, TransPennine Express and Northern will offer free standard-class travel to Eastern Airways staff and customers on October 28 and October 29, on suitable routes.

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What are my rights if my flight is cancelled?

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 place 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 airline.

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

If you didn’t book with a UK or EU airline, you’ll need to check their terms and conditions. However, for the most part, airlines should provide meals and accommodation as appropriate.

When am I eligible for this support?

Whether you’re eligible for the above depends on the distance of your flight and how long you have waited:

• For short-haul (up to 1,500km over two hours or less) you must have been waiting for two hours or more.
• For medium-haul (between 1,500km and 3,500km over two to four hours) it’s three hours or more.
• For long-haul (more than 3,500km over four hours or more) it’s four hours or more.

If my flight is cancelled, can I get a refund?

If your flight is covered by UK law, you can choose between either getting your cancelled flight refunded or being booked on an alternative route.

Any part of your ticket you haven’t used is eligible for a refund. So, if you were on a return flight to Heathrow and the outbound leg was cancelled, you can get that part of the journey refunded.

You’ll typically get your money back within a week.

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 on what you can do if your flight has been cancelled.

Can I get any extra compensation?

What the law calls ‘extraordinary circumstances’ can include a fire, bird strikes, defects with a plane, or bad weather.

But none of these entitles impacted passengers to extra compensation, consumer watchdog Which? says. They’re largely considered outside the airline’s control.

In other circumstances, however, it’s a different story. You have several rights under the law if your journey is impacted by staff shortages, airline staff walkouts or if your flight was delayed because bad weather delayed a previous flight.

What you’re entitled to depends on the cause of the cancellation and how much notice the airline gave you.

This can range from £220 for short-haul flights, £350 for mid-haul and £520 for long-haul.

What about unused accommodation?

There might be things you do end up paying for. But you might be able to claim them afterwards.

This can include unused accommodation, where you’ll need to contact your credit card provider or a travel insurance firm.

As much as 94% of travel insurance policies travel abandonment, only 30% include wider travel disruption, according to analysts Defaqto.

Travel insurance doesn’t cover any loss of earnings if the delayed or cancelled flight means you can’t work.

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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

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