Advice for travellers affected by airport closures
Travel expert Bob Atkinson from travelsupermarket.com offers general advice for travellers affected by airport closures caused by the volcanic ash cloud originating over Iceland: "With air travel plans in disarray, it is vital that all passengers travelling by air in the next few days are in contact with their airline, tour operator or travel provider before making their way to the airport. With most flights today being cancelled into and out of the UK, there will be widespread disruption to travellers' plans as airlines and airports work out how they get schedules back to normal.
"Your travel arranger will be able to advise on your options and if you are travelling as part of an ATOL covered package, your tour operator will be able to advise on your total travel plans. If you have independent arrangements then you need to speak to your airline as well as hotel companies and any others you have bookings with to check your options for cancellation, refunds and changes.
"Where there is a complete cancellation of a flight travellers should be able to obtain a refund for the cost of the flight from their airline. Refunds for any subsequential costs such as the hotel they were intending to stay in and car hire while abroad etc. will vary and we urge customers to check as soon as possible and to cancel arrangements to minimise any losses.
"With regards to claiming for delay or cancellation through a travel insurance policy, at the time of writing the ABI have yet to clarify the situation, therefore the advice is to contact your insurer and clarify what options are available to you. The advice from insurers is especially important for those who are currently abroad and unable to get home due to the air travel conditions around the UK.
"If insurance polices do cover this scenario then it is likely that the typical rules for making a claim for delayed departure apply. Travellers would be able to claim after they are delayed for 12 hours or more and to ensure their claim has the best chance of being processed successfully should obtain written confirmation from the airline of why the flight was cancelled. Travellers with insurance policies should read the wording carefully to see what they are and aren't covered for and also look at the procedures for making a claim as they differ from insurer to insurer.
"Finally, there is no compensation due from airlines for delayed departures as the circumstances are beyond the reasonable control of the airlines and therefore EU rules on payouts do not apply".