Your rights if you’re affected by the British Airways computer meltdown – and how to protect your holiday
Here's how to claim compensation if you were delayed or left stranded as a result of the British Airways IT failure
AN IT failure at British Airways has caused “total chaos” for holidaymakers today.
The technical issue affecting check-in systems has sparked huge queues and delays at Heathrow, Gatwick and City airports this morning.
In May, a global computer crash grounded BA flights from Heathrow and Gatwick airports – sparking chaos for 200,000 holidaymakers.
A BA whistleblower later said a dodgy computer system was to blame for the delays.
But travellers are entitled to compensation if their flight was delayed for more than three hours, or completely cancelled.
Below, we explain your rights, what compensation you can expect, and how to protect your holiday in future.
How to claim compensation if your flight was delayed or cancelled
Under EU law, if your flight is delayed for more than three hours, or if it is cancelled entirely, you can claim compensation from the airline - because in this case the delays were British Airways' own fault.
Cancellation compensation amounts are £218 for short-haul, £384 for medium-haul and £523 for long-haul.
This compensation should be in addition to a full ticket refund if your flight was cancelled, or if you were rebooked onto a separate flight.
If you didn't wait for a new BA flight and booked replacement flights with a separate airline, you should be able to claim the cost back from BA.
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Passengers who were delayed and reached their destination more than three hours late are entitled to compensation ranging from £175-£525 depending on the length of the flights and delay.
The rules apply to delays on flights from airports within the EU, no matter which airline you fly with or your final destination.
Will BA pay for food/accommodation if you're stuck at the airport?
If you are delayed for more than two hours, or if your flight is cancelled, you have the right to free food and drink, access to phone calls and emails, and accommodation if you are delayed overnight - this includes transport to the hotel.
If you weren't able to get vouchers for this at the airport and had to pay for food and accommodation yourself, keep the receipts and claim back the costs from the airline.
Can you claim compensation if your baggage is delayed?
British Airways admitted that a "significant" number of its customers were left without their luggage following the disruption.
According to the CAA, airlines are liable for lost, delayed or damaged luggage.
There are no rules which fix the amount of compensation you should receive - it will depend on the value of what you have lost and the maximum will be around £1000, but it is very rare to receive this much.
It might be better to claim on your travel insurance as airlines may not pay out the true cost of what a lost, delayed or damaged bag has cost you.
You can't claim compensation for missed hotel or car hire bookings
There are losses BA won’t cover, and this is where your travel insurance may step in, depending on the terms and conditions of the cover you have purchased.
The Association of British Insurers said: "In the first instance, customers should contact British Airways or their tour operator to check what is covered as you may be entitled to compensation under the law.
“The main purpose of travel insurance is to cover emergency medical expenses and other travel related expenses like baggage loss, rather than systemic computer breakdowns like this situation.
“We advise consumers to check their travel insurance policy as it may offer some limited cover for sundries after a specific time period if you have coverage for delay. You should keep all receipts as proof of purchase."
How to contact BA without paying 62p a minute
Compensation is not automatic and customers must contact the airline to get it.
British Airways was slammed earlier this year by customers for telling them to ring a premium-rate phone number at 62p a minute.
You can avoid this cost by contacting the airline through or by calling BA's freephone 0800 number.
A BA spokesman said: “We have an 0800 number for UK customers whose flights have been affected by the IT failure — 0800 727 800.”
You can also claim your compensation by .
How to protect your holiday in future
THERE are steps you can take to protect yourself financially in the event of delayed or cancelled flights.
If you have adequate insurance, you should be covered on that for baggage loss, or some other travel expenses.
Make sure that you have a reasonable excess payment and that you're covered for cancellation - otherwise you won't be able to claim.
If you book your flights on a credit card, you are protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, which gives consumers extra protection when things go wrong.
It means that you might be able to claim back the cost of a your hotel, flights or other holiday bookings, if you're not able to use them.
These payments must be over £100 and no more than £30,000.
If you’re not able to claim online, you can write to: British Airways Customer Relations, EU Compensation Claims, PO Box 1126, Uxbridge, UB8 9XS.
A BA spokesperson told The Sun Online: "We are providing customers with information on how to apply for EU compensation and to claim for reasonable expenses. We will fully honour our obligations."
If your claim is rejected – and you think you have a case – you can raise a complaint through the for free.
Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of said: “If you’re affected it’s important to look at what your options are - don’t be one of the 70 per cent of passengers who don’t put in a claim.
“It’s best not to go via a claims company because they’ll take a massive cut. Contact BA direct and ask to make a claim if your flight was delayed over 3 hours.
"If your claim is rejected don’t give up; you can escalate your case to the CAA who will make sure you’ve been treated fairly."
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