Security queues at some UK airports have been so long passengers have missed their flights, despite turning up several hours before departure as instructed by their airline.
Newcastle Airport has stayed relatively queue-free, but other airports used by North East holidaymakers, including Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick have faced repeated criticism for queues at security with lines stretching out of the terminal. The worst-affected, Manchester Airport, has has admitted it will be unable to resolve the problem quickly as it doesn't have enough staff and other Bristol, Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow haver faced problems of their own, especially in May half-term week.
As families get ready for their summer holiday - for many the first in three years - we investigate what to do if the worst happens and how you can continue your holiday of you miss your plane.
Read more: Holidaymakers face more flight misery due to strikes in Spain and France
Can I get a refund or compensation if I miss my flight because of airport security queues?
Unfortunately, probably not. Security checks are carried out by the airport, not the airline, so queues at the security check are the responsibility of the airport rather than your airline. Your airline isn’t liable to pay compensation or refund you if you miss your flight because of long queues at security.
The likelihood of getting compensation from the airport is very slim, as no large UK airport has a policy to compensate passengers who have missed flights because of long security queues. According to Which?, passengers could in theory claim frustrated contract and argue the airport is at fault for them missing their flight, but in practice this would almost certainly require going to court, with all the stress and cost that goes with it.
What about queues at the airline check-in or bag drop-off desk?
Checking you in and processing your luggage is the responsibility of the airline, even if they have outsourced the service to a third party. On that basis, if you have arrived at airport at the time you were told by the airline and miss your flight because the queue at check-in or bag drop was too long, you should be compensated by the airline, right?
Unfortunately, it's not that straightforward and may also involve a court case. If you wanted to explore this, you would need to claim against the airline under the consumer rights act.
What about my travel insurance?
It depends on your travel insurance policy. While some policies include cover for missed departures, not all will cover you if the missed departure is caused by long queues at the airport and it's not always well defined in the policy.
Insurance is more likely to cover extraordinary circumstances for missed departures, such as hold-ups due to bad weather on the roads or family illness, but cover for things that are - in theory anyway - under your control such as airport security are often excluded.
If you do want to claim, you will have to give evidence that you turned up at the time advised by the airport, or airline. This could be a bus ticket or parking stub that marks your arrival at the airport with a time and date, or a receipt from a shop or restaurant inside the terminal, which proves you were on site when you were told to be.
What should I do if I’m about to miss my flight because of queues?
Make a fuss. about it. Don't just stand there and hope for the best. Most airports will bring you to the front of the queue if your flight is due to depart shortly so try and find a member of staff and explain you have been called to the gate. If you think you are going to miss the flight, contact your airline, as a handful of so-called flag carriers will simply put you on the next flight at no extra cost.
British Airways: The airline will try to rebook you without charge. It says: ‘If you need to change any aspect of your transportation because of events beyond your control, you must contact us as soon as possible. We will use reasonable efforts to transport you to your next stopover or final destination, without re-calculating the fare.’
Virgin Atlantic: This carrier has a similar policy to BA. If you checked in and arrived at the airport at the time advised by the airline and long queues caused you to miss the flight this should fall under events beyond your control.
Budget airlines are not always so generous. You will be able to get to your destination on the same carrier, but you'll have to pay for it.
EasyJet: The airline offers ‘rescue fares’ that allow you to rebook for a fee, as long as you were at the asirport two hours before your scheduled departure time.
Ryanair: The budget airline charges you £100 per passenger to rebook a missed flight, even if it wasn't your fault. This is likely to be cheaper than rebooking on the same day but it would still be a bad start to the holiday.
Should I claim the taxes back for my missed flight?
You can claim your air passenger duty back from the airline if you miss your flight but it's probably not worth the bother. All airlines are obligated to issue this refund, but most also charge a fee which costs more than the refund you’ll receive. You’ll be due £13 for economy class tickets in Europe and Ryanair and Jet2 charge £17 and £25 per booking respectively, so check with your airline prior to making a claim as it might leave you out of pocket.
Now read:
- Spain brings in new UK passport rule at its busiest airports, including Ibiza, Alicante, and Barcelona
- Warning as fraudsters use summer holidays and festival events to scam people
- How ETIAS visa waiver for British tourists visiting the EU Schengen countries will work
- What are your options if your passport doesn't arrive in time?
- Government releases new must-read travel advice to avoid airport disasters this summer
