Millions of holidaymakers could be missing out on getting their money back after experiencing severe delays and cancellations at airports. Some accuse airlines of trying to wriggle out of paying by confusing their customers.
Millions of holidaymakers could be missing out on getting their money back after airlines wrongly rejected claims for cancelled and heavily delayed flights.
New figures show almost £11 million was paid out to travellers in the year to October 2025 after airlines initially refused to settle claims or failed to respond before cases were escalated to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
There are clear rules protecting passengers. Under UK and EU passenger rights, holidaymakers are entitled to a full refund if their flight is cancelled or delayed by more than five hours.
Travellers can also claim compensation if their flight arrives more than three hours late, with payouts depending on how far the plane was due to travel and the length of the delay. This often ranges from £220 to more than £500 per passenger.
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The new data suggests many airlines are routinely trying to wriggle out of paying by blaming bad weather, technical faults, or “extraordinary circumstances.”
The findings come after another year of travel chaos marked by staff shortages, air traffic control problems, and last-minute cancellations. The mayhem has left families stranded at airports and facing lost holidays and extra costs.
Customers told the BBC that airlines had “tried to confuse” them in a big to make them drop their claims. Laurie Watson, for example, had his claim rejected by BA, who told him that there had been adverse weather conditions beyond the airline’s control. A judgement by the CEDR found that there was no persuasive evidence of this.
“They send such a bewildering amount of information through that a lay person couldn’t understand it,” Watson told the BBC. “They’re trying to confuse you, I think, and make you drop the claim. It was lots of aviation speak and that made me more determined to follow it through.”
Consumer experts say thousands of passengers simply give up on claims which means airlines may be avoiding paying out millions more in compensation each year.
The biggest payouts followed complaints against British Airways, with the airline handing over £6.9 million after customers took rejected claims to independent adjudicators. In total, 10,679 complaints were lodged against BA, with a staggering 81% upheld in favour of passengers.
A BA spokesperson told the Mirror : “We operate more than 700 flights every day, with the vast majority of these running without issue.
“Most delays and cancellations occur as a result of circumstances beyond our control, such as poor weather or air traffic control restrictions, but when issues occur, we always do our best to make things right.
“Where customers submit claims for compensation that meet the legislative requirements, our teams work very hard to process them as quickly as possible. In the cases raised, our teams have reached out to our customers to resolve the matters.”
Wizz Air was next, paying £1.7 million in compensation, while Ryanair shelled out £1.68 million and easyJet paid £371,000.
The figures come from dispute bodies Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited and the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, which step in when airlines and passengers cannot resolve claims directly.
Smaller adjudicators also handled a limited number of cases. Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, told the Sun that travellers should not have to fight for money they are legally owed.
“It is concerning, but not entirely surprising, to see that some airlines have attempted to dodge millions of pounds worth of valid compensation claims,” he said “This reflects a long-running pattern of airlines shrugging off the legal rights of consumers when the rules are clear.”
Campaigners warn the problem is only likely to grow as more people travel post-pandemic and airlines struggle to cope with demand.
Passengers affected by delays or cancellations are urged to contact their airline directly, providing copies of tickets, booking confirmations and receipts for any extra costs.
If claims are rejected or ignored, travellers can escalate complaints to the Civil Aviation Authority or an independent dispute resolution service. Ryanair, Wizz Air, and easyJet have been approached for comment.
