Your rights if your flight is cancelled: What you're owed as air traffic control chaos grounds 200 UK flights

Here, we answer 11 key questions on assistance and compensation. By StephenRigleyListen to this articleHere, we answer 11 key questions on assistance and compensation. Flights operated by an airline departing from a UK airport, flights operated by a UK or EU airline arriving at a UK airport, or flights operated by a UK airline arriving at an EU airport. It depends on the distance of the flight. For flights between 1,500km and 3,500km such as from Manchester to Marrakesh: at least three hours. Screen grab taken from flightradar24 showing planes at Heathrow Airport in London. Flights departing the UK have been disrupted by an air traffic control "technical issue". Huge disruption at UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick as flights blocked from taking off due to air traffic control errorA reasonable amount of food and drink , a means for you to communicate and accommodation and transfers if an overnight stay is required. Airlines often fail to provide this assistance during major disruption because of being overwhelmed by requests and a shortage of available rooms in local hotels. In this scenario, the Civil Aviation Authority says passengers can organise their own assistance and claim the costs back from the airline by submitting receipts. Airlines are unlikely to reimburse you for that. The CAA advises passengers not to 'spend more than is reasonable'. Until your flight takes off or you accept a refund after deciding not to travel. If a flight is cancelled, airlines are required to get you to your destination if you still want to travel. Most will book you onto another of their flights, but you may be entitled to travel with another airline or by an alternative mode of transport if it will get you to your destination significantly sooner. Passengers doing this are often required to purchase their own tickets and submit a claim to their original airline for reimbursement. You are entitled to a refund if you have been delayed by more than five hours. Airlines may be liable for compensation if the reason for a delay is deemed within their control, such as a fault with the aircraft or pilot sickness. Causes of disruption classed as outside their control include severe weather, air traffic control control restrictions and security alerts. In the case of Tuesday's disruptions, passengers are unlikely to be owed compensation as the technical issue is considered an 'extraordinary circumstance' and out of the airline's control. You are entitled to a refund or a replacement flight, and the same assistance as if your flight was delayed. You can if the reason is deemed within the airline's control, you received no more than 14 days' notice and depending on the timings of a new flight offered.