What are air passengers entitled to if their flight is delayed or cancelled during global IT outage

Thousands of passengers suffered flight delays and cancellations on Friday due to the IT outage.

Cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike said a “defect” in one of its software updates hit Windows operating systems around the world but added that a fix has now been deployed.

Many banks, airlines and media companies remain offline and it’s not clear how long it will take for the fix to be rolled out to every firm.

More than 1,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide during the outage, with huge queues reported at Edinburgh Airport. Some passengers have been urged not to attend the airport if their flight has been cancelled.

Here’s what air passengers can expect if they have been affected by Friday’s outage.

What flights are covered by UK consumer law?

Flights operated by an airline departing from a UK airport, flights operated by a UK or EU airline arriving at a UK airport, or flights operated by a UK airline arriving at an EU airport.

How long must a flight be delayed before I am entitled to assistance?

It depends on the distance of the flight.

For flights under 1,500km (932 miles) such as from Glasgow to Amsterdam: at least two hours.

For flights between 1,500km (932 miles) and 3,500km (2,175 miles) such as from Manchester to Marrakesh: at least three hours.

For flights over 3,500km (2,175 miles) such as from Heathrow to New York: at least four hours.

What should this assistance include?

A reasonable amount of food and drink (often via vouchers), a means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of phone calls), and accommodation and transfers if an overnight stay is required.

What happens in reality?

Airlines often fail to provide this assistance during major disruption due to being overwhelmed by requests and there being a shortage of available rooms in local hotels.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says in this scenario, passengers can organise their own assistance and claim the costs back from the airline by submitting receipts.

Does that mean I should book a luxury hotel suite and order champagne?

Airlines are unlikely to reimburse you for that. The CAA advises passengers not to “spend more than is reasonable”.

How long must assistance be provided?

Until your flight takes off or you accept a refund after deciding not to travel.

What about getting to my destination?

If a flight is cancelled, airlines are required to issue a full refund or get you to your destination if you still want to travel.

Most will book you onto another of their flights, but you may be entitled to travel with another airline or by an alternative mode of transport if it will get you to your destination significantly sooner.

Passengers doing this are often required to purchase their own tickets and submit a claim to their original airline for reimbursement.

What if I no longer want to travel?

You are entitled to a refund if you have been delayed by more than five hours.

Am I entitled to compensation for a delayed flight?

Airlines are only liable for compensation if the reason for a delay is deemed within their control, such as a fault with the aircraft or pilot sickness.

That is not expected to be the case during the IT outage.

What about if I miss a flight due to queues at security?

The CAA says it is “unlikely” that an airline would consider itself obliged to offer a free alternative flight in this instance, but some do so voluntarily.