Holidays picked up again after pandemic limits, and airports struggled to handle the surge in travelers. A Cirium report noted that European airlines pushed staff cuts beyond the early covid period and canceled about 2% of flights in August. Predictably, Ryanair crews would strike in Spain until January 7, and Iberia Express crews until September 6. Many passengers faced extended layovers during the summer, and those whose plans were disrupted by cancellations may still wonder what rights they have, even when they arrive on time.
Weather issues, technical glitches, disruptions at the arrival airport, or a carrier’s timetable changes can all force rearrangements. In most cases, travelers can relocate or seek compensation with a straightforward claim, yet there is a widespread lack of knowledge on how to proceed, which turns vacations into frustrating ordeals. A lawyer from Sanahuja Miranda, Estelle Romero, explains this. Affected customers may claim a refund or an alternative flight, plus financial compensation ranging in the hundreds of euros, and they can also recoup costs tied to the cancellation that aren’t normally covered, such as hotel expenses and transportation.
Vanessa Santiago, co-author of the Callejeros Viajeros blog, advises gathering all relevant documents first: boarding passes, hotel reservations, concert tickets, or invoices. The next step is to approach the airport counter, contact the airline by phone, or submit a written request by mail or online. Acting quickly matters—the sooner, the better. If there is no response within a month or if there is disagreement, the matter can be filed with the State Aviation Safety Agency (Aesa), the national body responsible for enforcing European Regulation 261/2004.
The law states that when a flight is cancelled, affected travelers may choose between a reimbursement or alternative transportation under comparable conditions. They may also receive compensation between 250 and 600 euros, calculated according to the flight distance. Travelers are entitled to care such as meals and overnight accommodation if necessary. The InterMundial CEO, Manuel López, notes that providing hotels and meals for passengers during peak season can cost airlines as much as 200 euros per day. Data from masFlight suggests that airlines lose about 1,050 euros per grounded passenger on a short regional flight and up to 42,900 euros when a round-trip transatlantic flight is canceled, due to the disruption in revenue and logistics.
There are, of course, exceptions. If a weather event like a severe storm, an earthquake, or another extraordinary circumstance such as political instability or an external strike occurs, airlines may be released from responsibility and not required to pay compensation. Òscar Oliver, a professor at UPC and former managing director of the Center d’Estudis del Transport per a la Mediterrània Occidental, explains this nuance. The airline may also be exempt from paying damages when it offers more than one week or two weeks’ notice, or when transport changes do not shift the departure time by more than two hours or the arrival time by more than four hours. Therefore, in cases of internal strikes, the incident is not treated as an “emergency,” which can shape the compensation outcome.
With the judicial process
Manuel López points out that unresolved air claims typically take six months to a year to settle, often requiring private legal services. The typical arrangement does not involve upfront payment; instead, lawyers receive a percentage of the final compensation after a deal is reached, Santiago adds. The advice from those interviewed includes getting insurance coverage during turbulent times, staying informed through airline apps, choosing early-morning departures when possible, and avoiding certain low-cost carriers and specific peak dates if feasible.