当机场出发显示屏上闪现出令人担忧的红色提示时，你正在候机：你的航班延误了，甚至更糟——被取消了。那么你能获得哪些权益？这取决于等待时长及延误原因。继续阅读以了解具体规则。
无论是人为问题还是天气原因，航班常常容易出现长时间延误或取消的情况。
2024年英国主要机场航班平均延误时长为18分24秒，其中盖特威克机场的延误情况最为严重。
以下是航班延误或取消时，乘客享有的权利说明。
延误期间您的权利
根据英国法律规定，若您的航班符合以下任一条件，则适用英国法律管辖：由英国或欧盟航空公司运营且从英国机场起飞或抵达；或由英国航空公司运营且抵达欧盟机场。
根据英国法律规定，当航班出现严重延误时，航空公司必须为乘客提供照料与协助。
重大延误的判定标准如下：
• 短途航班（1500公里/932英里以内）延误超过两小时 • 中途航班（1500至3500公里/932至2175英里）延误超过三小时 • 长途航班（3500公里以上）延误超过四小时
根据法律规定，在航空公司将您运送至目的地之前，必须为您提供以下服务：
• 适量的食物和饮料 • 提供通讯支持（通常通过补偿通话费用实现） • 若次日改签航班，将安排住宿 • 提供往返住宿地（或您可返回时的住所）的交通接驳
声明指出，无论延误持续多久或由何种原因引发，都必须为您提供相应保障。
航空公司可能无法在重大航班中断时直接为所有乘客安排照料与协助，但英国民航局（CAA）表示，乘客可自行处理所列事项并保留所有收据，只要支出金额在合理范围内，后续可向航空公司申请费用报销。
换言之，在等待期间不要挥霍于酒精和豪华酒店等消费，并指望日后能索回这些钱款。
哪些人不在保障范围内？
旅行专家西蒙·卡尔德向天空新闻表示，从欧洲以外地区乘坐非英国或欧盟航空公司航班的人士"最值得关注"。
他表示：“这些航空公司并非英国企业，因此从本国飞往英国时无需承担任何义务。”
他们或许会关照你——但转眼就可能翻脸不认账：‘听着，这不是我们的责任。你只能靠自己了，祝你好运找到酒店吧。’之后你只能尝试向旅行保险公司索赔。
航班取消时，您享有哪些权益？
若航班取消，航空公司必须为您办理退款或改签其他航班。
英国民航局（CAA）表示，乘客可退还机票中所有未使用部分的费用。
例如，如果您预订了往返航班而返程航班被取消，您可向航空公司申请退还往返机票的全部费用。
该条款补充说明：若您是中转旅客且已完成部分航程，当衔接航班取消且您决定放弃后续行程时，亦有权要求返回原始出发地。
若您仍计划出行，航空公司必须为您安排替代航班——无论是下一班可用航班，或是其他日期的后续航班。
若其他航空公司的航班时刻明显早于您所购票航班的可用时间，您可能有权要求改签至竞争航司的航班，但需与该公司协商达成一致。
针对航班临时取消的情况，Next Vacay创始人兼首席执行官纳文·迪塔卡维（Naveen Dittakavi）表示：“若航班取消时你已抵达机场，保持冷静是最佳选择——许多可能出现的意外情况都在你的权益保障范围内。”
建议优先拨打航空公司客服热线，而非直接等待与机场工作人员沟通。热线服务通常更具灵活性，可能为您提供电子积分、代金券或快速更改旅行日期的便利。
你能获得赔偿吗？
在某些情况下，如果航班抵达目的地延误超过三小时，航空公司可能需要提供赔偿——但前提是延误被认定为航空公司的责任。
英国民航局（CAA）表示，因被视为“特殊情况”所导致的航班中断，乘客无权获得赔偿。
特殊情况涵盖了许多通常导致航班延误的因素，包括天气原因以及与航空公司无关的罢工行为，例如空中交通管制人员或行李搬运工的罢工。
You're waiting at the airport when the dreaded red flashes across the departures board: your flight has been delayed, or worse, cancelled. So what are you entitled to? It depends on how long you're waiting, and why - read on to find out how that works.
Whether it's a man-made problem or a weather issue, flights are often prone to lengthy delays or cancellations.
The average delay for flights from major UK airports was 18 minutes and 24 seconds in 2024, with Gatwick the worst culprit for delays .
Here's a look at what rights you have as a passenger if your flight is delayed or cancelled.
Your rights during delays
Your flight is covered by UK law if it departs or arrives at a UK airport on a UK or EU airline, or arrives at an EU airport on a UK airline.
When it comes to significant delays, UK law says airlines must provide you with care and assistance.
Significant delays are classed as:
• More than two hours for short-haul flights of under 1,500km (932 miles) • More than three hours for medium-haul flights of 1,500km-3,500km (932 to 2,175 miles) • More than four hours for long-haul flights of over 3,500km
Here's what the law says the airline must provide you with until it can fly you to your destination:
• A reasonable amount of food and drink • A means for you to communicate (often by refunding the cost of your calls) • Accommodation, if you are re-routed the next day • Transport to and from the accommodation (or your home, if you are able to return there)
It says this must be provided for you for however long delays last, irrespective of what has caused them.
Airlines may not always be able to arrange care and assistance for all passengers during major disruptions directly, but the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says you can organise the things listed for yourself and then claim the cost back from your airline later if you keep every receipt and do not spend more than is deemed reasonable.
In other words, don't splash out on things like alcohol and luxury hotels during your wait and expect to claim your money back later.
Who isn't covered?
People who are not flying on a UK or EU airline from outside of Europe are "the people to be concerned about", travel expert Simon Calder told Sky News.
"Those airlines, because they're not British, do not have any obligations when they are flying to the UK from their home countries," he says.
"So they might look after you - but they can just turn around and say, 'Look, this isn't our fault. You're on your own. Good luck finding a hotel.' And then you will try and claim from your travel insurance."
What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must either give you a refund or book you on an alternative flight.
You can get your money back for all parts of a ticket you haven't used, the CAA says.
If you have booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, for example, you can get the full cost of the return ticket back from your airline.
"If you are a transfer passenger and you have already completed part of your journey, you are also entitled to a flight back to your original departure point when your connecting flight is cancelled and you decide not to continue your journey," it adds.
If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight - whether it is the next available one, or a flight at an alternative, later date.
If another airline is flying significantly sooner than yours is able to offer, you may have the right to be booked onto a rival airline's flight, but this has to be negotiated with the company.
On last-minute cancellations, Naveen Dittakavi, founder and chief executive of Next Vacay, said: "If you're already at the airport once the flight is cancelled, the best thing you can do is stay calm - you are protected against many things that might go wrong.
"Try calling the airline helpline rather than waiting to speak directly with the airport staff. The helpline is often more flexible and may provide you with an e-credit or voucher, or flexibility to change your travel dates quickly."
Can you get compensation?
In some cases, airlines may have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late - but that is only if the delay is deemed to be your airline's fault.
Disruptions caused by things deemed "extraordinary circumstances" are not eligible for compensation, according to the CAA.
Extraordinary circumstances cover a lot of the things that normally result in flight delays, including weather and strikes unrelated to the airline, for example by air traffic control or baggage handlers.