Flight delay: what is actually measured
Why the departure time matters less than the landing time, and what is worth documenting.
Why the departure time matters less than the landing time, and what is worth documenting.
What gets measured
It varies by route. Sometimes the arrival time carries most of the weight, sometimes a long wait before departure counts in its own right. Either way, keep both times, scheduled and actual, at each end of the flight.
What to document
Photograph the departure board with the revised time, keep the airline's texts and emails, and note the actual landing time.
Worth knowing
The airline may argue the cause was outside its control. That argument is judged on its facts, so a record of what happened that day helps.
After the flight
There is no need to act immediately. A flight can be checked after you are already home.
Questions about this situation
I did not note the exact landing time
That is fine. The actual flight data is available to us, and the check rests on that rather than on your recollection.
The delay was on the first of two flights
Then the shape of the itinerary matters, not just the leg the delay happened on. There is a separate guide on connecting flights.
The airline gave me a meal voucher. Is that enough?
Care at the airport and compensation are separate things. Being given a meal or a hotel does not remove the need to check.
More guides
- Flight cancellation: what to do
What matters at the airport and in the days after, and how it affects the check.
- Missing a connecting flight
When an itinerary with a connection counts as one journey, and why one booking differs from two.
Want to know whether you are owed?
The first check takes a moment and costs nothing.