UK air traffic control failure leaves couple £1,300 out of pocket

A four-hour failure of the UK’s air traffic control system on Tuesday cancelled and delayed flights across the country, leaving passengers such as Catie Allen, 30, and Phil Allen, 34, more than £1,000 out of pocket. Their British Airways flight to Ljubljana never departed and their holiday in Slovenia was cancelled.

What happened to UK air traffic control?

The UK’s air traffic control provider, Nats, suffered a four-hour shutdown on Tuesday, disrupting schedules at airports including Heathrow. Flight data firm Cirium said the aviation system had “stabilised significantly” on Thursday, with 54 of 3,028 scheduled arrivals cancelled or not operating and 47 of 3,033 scheduled departures affected.

How much have Catie and Phil Allen lost?

Catie Allen, 30, and Phil Allen, 34, were sitting on a British Airways flight to Ljubljana on Tuesday that never took off. British Airways refunded the flight and the car hire booked through the airline, but the couple estimate they are £1,300 out of pocket because their accommodation and excursions were booked separately. The trip was cancelled after the alternative flight offered would not have arrived until Saturday morning, four days into their week-long holiday.

What are passengers entitled to when a flight is cancelled?

Under UK and EU rules, airlines must get passengers to their destination as quickly as possible at no extra cost, including on a rival carrier, or offer a refund. Refunds should also be offered for delays of more than five hours. Extra compensation is payable only when the airline is at fault, and it does not apply in this case because the air traffic control failure was beyond the airlines’ control. Airlines have said the disruption saddled them with a bill of millions of pounds, at a time when oil has topped $105 after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Why are hotels and excursions not refunded?

Accommodation and excursions booked separately carry their own terms and conditions, and cancelling at short notice meant no refunds. One hotel told Catie Allen it was a family business that could not afford to refund her. Package holidays, by contrast, are covered in full if a flight is cancelled.

“We feel we are penalised for trying to save money,” said Catie Allen, who added that “our problems are very small in the bigger scheme of things” and that the couple had “been saving tirelessly for this trip”.

Why won’t travel insurance cover the losses?

The couple said their insurer told them any travel insurance claim for the lost money would be invalid because air traffic issues fall outside their policy, despite years of holding home, pet and travel cover with the same company. Claims made through credit card providers depend on the provider’s small print.

What did the government say?

Aviation Minister Keir Mather told MPs on Thursday: “Passengers may also be entitled to care and assistance while waiting for a delayed or re-routed flight.” He said the disruption caused by the failure of Nats was “unacceptable” and that airport capacity had not been able to deal with the number of disrupted passengers, which he called a key lesson to learn. The Civil Aviation Authority will carry out an independent review.

What about food and overnight stays?

Passengers facing long waits must be given food and a hotel stay depending on the length of the delay, and can claim reasonable expenses afterwards, with experts advising them to keep receipts. Many passengers could not find accommodation near Heathrow and slept on airport floors, and airlines are unlikely to refund luxury bookings because only reasonable expenses are permitted.

The failure is separate from other UK transport investment now under way, including Alstom’s £1bn deal to build 29 battery-electric trains in Derby.

Frequently asked questions

Can passengers claim compensation for the UK air traffic control failure?

No. Extra compensation under UK and EU rules applies only when the airline is at fault, and the shutdown of the Nats air traffic control system was beyond the airlines’ control. Passengers are still entitled to a refund or re-routing.

Why were Catie and Phil Allen’s hotel and excursions not refunded?

Their accommodation and excursions were booked separately from the flight, so they were covered by the providers’ own terms and conditions, and cancelling at short notice meant no refunds. Package holidays would have been covered in full.

Who is reviewing the air traffic control shutdown?

The Civil Aviation Authority will carry out an independent review. Aviation Minister Keir Mather told MPs the disruption caused by the failure of Nats was unacceptable.

How many flights were affected after the shutdown?

Flight data firm Cirium said that on Thursday, 54 of 3,028 scheduled arrivals were cancelled or not operating, and 47 of 3,033 scheduled departures were affected.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. Departure Board at Christchurch airport — Archives New Zealand / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)