Travel Question of the Day: Simon Calder on getting compensation for a flight delay in Madeira

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Madeira: Funchal has exciting terrain

Q We were due to fly out from Funchal in Madeira last week to Bristol, but flights cancelled due to cross winds. We were treated very well by easyJet, who were very efficient during this delay. We were accommodated for the night in a nearby hotel and flew out a day late. Can you tell us if we are entitled to any compensation for the day's delay, including the additional cost of car parking?

David Harrison

A Madeira’s airport, east of the island’s capital, Funchal, is one of very few “Category C” airports in Europe. Pilots require special training before they can land at one of these airports. Funchal has exciting terrain (a neighbouring volcano), and a runway on stilts extending into the Atlantic. So it is prone to weather-related delays.

Some of the rules about delays on departures from European airports (and all flights by EU airlines are quite clear. If you are significantly delayed (two hours for shorter flights, three hours for most European flights), the airline is obliged to provide meals and accommodation commensurate with the wait. It seems easyJet fulfilled its obligation well.

On flights of this length, cash compensation of €400 is due to passengers whose arrival is delayed by three hours or more. But airlines can cite “extraordinary circumstances” as a reason to avoid paying. While some aviation lawyers have sought to argue that weather is not a legitimate excuse, I think it would be unreasonable to take easyJet to court. If the airline had to pay out more than £50,000 to passengers each time weather delayed one of its planes, fares would soar and routes would shrink. Indeed, Funchal could be cut from the schedules of UK carriers.

Instead, see what your travel insurance may offer. Many policies provide cash compensation for delays of 12 hours or more.

For more on “Cat-C” airports, visit bit.ly/Cat-C

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder