Hi all,

A 78 year old good friend was due to fly back home to Austin, Texas, via Houston on Wednesday. Singapore airlines would take him to Houston and then United were due to take him to Austin.

His flight were cancelled so I contacted Singapore and they agreed to pay for BA flights tomorrow from Manchester to London and then on to Austin, which is great. However, they have refused to reimburse him for his accommodation and food costs. Is this correct, please?

Was the flight delay due to the weather problems in Houston?

HB

Hello.

Sorry for not explaining - yes it was.

Tricky one. I don't think the EU rules apply here so it will be down to the airline terms. You may need to contact SA direct for clarification.

I think the EU rules applies to any flight from an EU airport.

My reading is that SA should refund up to E300 for accommodation, food, because the cancellation meant having to go to a nearby hotel to await a rebooked flight.

I know airlines have argued that an extreme weather event was beyond their control, but i thought if this was at destination point and airline could have made alternative flight arrangement, then they are are still liable.

There are websites such as Air Passenger Rights EU which have aclot of info on this subject.

I think the EU rules applies to any flight from an EU airport.

 

My reading is that SA should refund up to E300 for accommodation, food, because the cancellation meant having to go to a nearby hotel to await a rebooked flight.

 

I know airlines have argued that an extreme weather event was beyond their control, but i thought if this was at destination point and airline could have made alternative flight arrangement, then they are are still liable.

 

There are websites such as Air Passenger Rights EU which have aclot of info on this subject.

If the flight arrived more than 4 hours late at destination, it could be up E600 compo.

Moneysavingexpert has a reclaim tool .

The Manchester-Houston flight is indeed covered by Regulation 261/2004. Since the cause of the delay is presumably either the closure of the airport or "meteorological conditions incompatible with the operation of the flight", this would constitute "extraordinary circumstances", which means the usual €600 would not be payable. However, even if the cause of the delay is "extraordinary" the airline is responsible for the accommodation, food and (non-alcoholic) drinks costs, plus local transportation incurred during the overnight wait. You friend needs to submit copies of the receipt and explain that they are making a claim under 261/04. Just to be clear, there is no €300 for this (not sure where that came from?) but the claim for the expenses incurred does need to be "reasonable".

Thank you so very much!