Snowbound at the airport? Get flight compensation

Outrageous delays. Dreaded last-minute cancellations. Overbooked flights. Air passengers certainly don't have it easy. Thousands of eager holiday-goers arrive at airports across the country only to frequently face frustration and disappointment, and usually finding themselves stranded and out-of-pocket to boot.

The phrase, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do," usually followed by the customary shrug of the shoulders, was all that comforted passengers facing hours of inconvenience and a curtailed holiday.

For too long the airlines afforded little sympathy to customers whose only crime was to turn up at the airport expecting to get on a plane which they had spent hundreds of pounds of their hard-earned cash to get a seat on.

The phrase, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do," usually followed by the customary shrug of the shoulders, was all that comforted passengers facing hours of inconvenience and a curtailed holiday.

But since regulations were passed a couple of years ago, instead of having to resist the urge to punch the person on the other side of the check-in desk, more and more peeved passengers are hitting the airlines where it really hurts, their pockets.

Basically the regulations state that if you don't get on the flight you booked, at the time you booked it for, then you may be entitled to compensation and assistance. You could receive up to £550 depending on the distance of your flight and the length of time it was delayed by. If you are severely delayed then airlines are also required to cover the cost of overnight accommodation.

It's great that airlines are finally affording passengers more rights, especially as fares are rising and holidays become even more of a luxury. Now if only they'd start serving food that's edible...

Helpful links:

Claims Financial

How to get flight compensation