Flights

Air travel has many advantages – it’s fast, easy, and a more affordable than it used to be. But you can experience problems with:

Airline prices, booking and other charges

Delayed flights

Cancelled flights

Missing a flight

Denied boarding - where you can't get on a flight because it's overbooked

Airline prices

Many airlines offer fares that may seem very cheap. Whenever you book airline tickets, whether online or from a travel agent, there can be lots of additional charges including taxes, airport charges, baggage fees, charges for paying by credit card or debit card and a charge to book your seat or priority boarding.

So, before you confirm your booking, always check the total cost of the flight, because it might not be quite so cheap in the end.

The final cost including all charges must be shown to you before you complete your booking. Make sure you are not being changed for anything you do not want. For example, optional travel insurance is sometimes automatically applied to your booking unless you opt out.

'Departure fees'

Some regional airports also charge passengers a 'development fee' or a 'departure fee', payable at the airport before you can fly. But as this particular fee has nothing to do with the airline, there is no obligation to include in the flight cost.

Delayed flights

Some short flight delays are regular and understandable. But if the delay is of a certain duration that you have entitlements.

If your flight is delayed by:

2 hours or more for a flight of 1,500km or less or

3 hours or more for a flight within the EU of more than 1,500km, and all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500km or

4 hours or more in the case of all other flights

You are entitled to care and assistance, including:

Free refreshments or meals in proportion to the length of delay, and

2 free phone call, emails, telex messages or faxes, and

Hotel accommodation if an overnight stay becomes necessary, as well as transport between the hotel and airport.

If your flight is delayed by:

More than 5 hours

You are entitled to care and assistance and

The choice between:

A rescheduled flight or

A refund of the full cost of the ticket for the parts of the journey not made

The right to a refund only applies where you decide not to travel as a result of the delay - it is not possible to travel and also claim a refund. If you have to stay overnight because of the delay, your airline must provide you with hotel accommodation, as well as transport between the airport and hotel.

If your flight is delayed by over 5 hours and you booked it as part of a connecting flight and you decide to take a refund then you are also entitled to:

A refund for the part of the journey already made and

A free return flight to where your journey began.

Point to point flights
Bear in mind that many low-cost airlines do not operate connecting flights. Their flights are 'point to point'. This means that if you booked two flights with the same airline but they were not connected and the second flights was delayed by more than 5 hours, you would be entitled to:

A rescheduled flight or

A refund of the full cost of the ticket for the parts of the journey not made

Bu you would not be entitled to a refund for the first flight or a free return flight to where your journey began.

Cancelled flights

Your rights vary depending on when you are informed of the cancellation.

If your flight is cancelled without prior warning, the airline must offer you a choice between:

A full refund of the ticket for the part(s) of your journey not made or

Re-routing under comparable transport conditions to you final destination

If your journey involves connecting flights, the airline must reimburse you for parts of the journey already made. For example, the cost of a flight from Cork to Dublin will be reimbursed if the purpose was to travel on a connecting flight to London which has now been cancelled. You would also be entitled to a free return flight to Cork.

Many low cost airlines operate point-to-point flights only and do not offer connecting flights. For example, if you book the Cork to Dublin, and Dublin to London flights above, these are two separate flights and are not connecting flights. In this case, if the Dublin to London flight was cancelled then you would not be entitled to a refund of the cost of the first Cork to Dublin flight.

Compensation

In certain circumstances you may receive financial compensation because of a cancelled flight, but you are not entitled to compensation if:

The airline gave you adequate notice of the cancellation or
The airline can prove that the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances which couldn't have been avoided – examples include extreme weather conditions and flight safety delays.

Other options

There may be other ways to recover some or all of your costs. Some travel insurance policies may have an allowance for costs caused by delays – check your policy details. Your policy may also pay out if a journey or holiday is cancelled due to flight problems.

If you booked using a credit card you should contact your credit card provider to see if you can make a claim.
If the flight is part of a package holiday, you have stronger protection under package holiday laws. Operators must refund customers for the whole holiday if trips are cancelled or they cannot get you to your destination.

Missing a flight

Whenever you book a flight, you enter into a contract with an airline. The contract's terms and conditions spell out your rights and responsibilities. If you book a flight online, you will always be asked to indicate that you have read and accept the terms and conditions of the contract.

If it’s your fault that you miss a flight, such as missing the check-in time or not bringing the right kind of ID, you are in breach of that contract and have no consumer rights.

If it’s the airline's fault that you missed the flight, you have various entitlements as a consumer. For example, if the flight is overbooked and you are denied boarding you have the right to compensation.