{"id":408738,"date":"2026-04-20T19:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/408738\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T19:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T19:33:13","slug":"if-my-flight-is-cancelled-what-can-i-do-and-will-i-lose-my-money-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/408738\/","title":{"rendered":"If my flight is cancelled what can I do and will I lose my money? \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tens of thousands of holiday-makers will have to contend with travel disruption in the weeks ahead with Aer Lingus<\/a> cancelling or rescheduling around 500 flights<\/a>, about 2 per cent of its total.<\/p>\n

There is concern about more widespread airline cancellations as a result of jet fuel shortages<\/a> caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is happening with Aer Lingus? <\/p>\n

Well, the company has started operating its planned summer schedule and with that there has been a wave of cancellations. It says they have been required due to \u201cmandatory maintenance on aircraft, along with a limited number of schedule adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact has already been felt on some routes with passengers being moved from one flight to another and hundreds of other flights set to depart in the weeks ahead now scrapped.<\/p>\n

If my Aer Lingus flight is cancelled, what are my options?<\/p>\n

The carrier has said that \u201cwhere schedule adjustments are being made, the vast majority of customers are being reaccommodated on same day services.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what if my flight is cancelled or I don\u2019t want to go at the new time?<\/p>\n

Consumers have well established rights under European law. EU<\/a> Regulation 261 says airlines must offer you a refund or a rerouting on the next available flight, or at a later time of your choosing.<\/p>\n

Will I be entitled to compensation?<\/p>\n

It depends on how much notice you have been given. If an airline cancels a flight more than two weeks before departure then compensation is not paid \u2013 although all the other passenger rights when it comes to refunds or rerouting will still apply. <\/p>\n

What is Aer Lingus telling people to do?<\/p>\n

On its website it says that if it has cancelled the flight and you booked on their website or via the app, your options include rebooking, changing your flight or requesting a voucher or cash refund.<\/p>\n

It also says to make contact if you have a connecting flight or you booked another way.<\/p>\n

And more broadly what is going on with airlines?<\/p>\n

The situation is fluid and unprecedented to say the least. There have been dire warnings of fuel shortages and while airlines will do whatever they can to accommodate all the passengers who have already booked, the situation remains volatile and airlines could cancel or rearrange on the day of departure.<\/p>\n

And what happens if my flight home is cancelled when I am stuck overseas?<\/p>\n

If you are stranded, the airline is obliged to provide care and assistance \u2013 including food, accommodation, transport and refunds of reasonable expenses \u2013 until it can fly you home.<\/p>\n

Reasonable expenses?<\/p>\n

It is not boundless, but if you stay in a modestly priced hotel and eat in modestly priced restaurants, you will be able to claim that money back.<\/p>\n

How do I make a claim?<\/p>\n

First you send copies \u2013 and not originals \u2013 of all receipts to your airline and include booking references, passenger names, original and new flight details. Remember you are not looking for compensation. Even mentioning that word might see your claim wrongly rejected.<\/p>\n

When should I get my money back?<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t got the money back within a month, you can complain to the Irish Aviation Authority. But hopefully it won\u2019t come to that.<\/p>\n

What if I have a package holiday booked and the flight is cancelled because of the jet fuel issue?<\/p>\n

You are fully protected and the tour operator is responsible for every element of the trip. If the flight is cancelled you will have to be offered an alternative holiday of the same value, or a refund. And if a flight is cancelled when you are overseas, the travel agent is also responsible for getting you home.<\/p>\n

What if I booked the flights myself and the accommodation and car hire separately? <\/p>\n

You are in a significantly weaker position. If the flight is cancelled, then you are still entitled to the refund or the rerouting and possibly the compensation. You will not, however, be able to claim any money back for the cost of missed hotel or apartment stays or any other expenses such as car hire. <\/p>\n

So what should I do?<\/p>\n

Keep the channels of communication open. As soon as you know there is a problem, contact the providers. You will want to ensure a car is kept for you if you have hired it. Depending on the policies of an accommodation provider, they may give some money back, but it could ultimately come down to your travel insurance.<\/p>\n

Will it cover those costs?<\/p>\n

It depends. The most basic policies do not tend to cover travel disruption and it will be essential for people to go through the terms and conditions.<\/p>\n

So if I haven\u2019t booked a flight yet should I hold off?<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have a crystal ball so cannot say for sure but that approach does not seem wise right now. If flights are cancelled in the weeks ahead, airlines are first going to target busy routes and cut a number of flights from those. If an airline has eight flights going to a particular destination every day, they might cut it back to five. That means those who have already booked will be accommodated while those who have held off will miss out. <\/p>\n

Is there anything I can do to protect myself?<\/p>\n

Well, this might be the year to book a holiday with a tour operator and it is definitely the time to take out the most comprehensive travel insurance policy you can get \u2013 or upgrade to a premium one if you already have a policy in place. <\/p>\n

And if you are booking a DIY package, try to book accommodation that allows you to cancel right up to the day before travel. It might cost you more but it could save you in the longer term.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tens of thousands of holiday-makers will have to contend with travel disruption in the weeks ahead with Aer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[601,72,37635,5148,61,11829,60,179684],"class_list":{"0":"post-408738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-aer-lingus","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-energy-crisis","11":"tag-european-union","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-iran","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-travel-q-a"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}