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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Apparently £63 is unreasonable to spend after a cancelled flight!

137 replies

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 13:32

I had an easyjet flight cancelled 4 weeks ago.

I submitted for both compensation and refund of expenses. The £63 was made up of dinner the night of the cancelled flight, lunch the next day, buses to and from the airport and a taxi the night of the cancelled flight.

In my mind that’s a really reasonable spend. I’m obviously going to challenge it but AIBU here?!

OP posts:
Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:47

fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:46

I see. They’ll probably say you should have eaten at home if you got a bus back. Same with the lunch.
If you were supposed to be at the hotel, then claim a day back from the hotel from your insurance.

But - can you claim compensation overall for then flight delay? Or does it not count as it was ATC?

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I was in a hotel in the city the airport is in. I didn’t go home.

OP posts:
fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:46

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:42

The flight was Friday afternoon. I’d have been in the hotel by 7:30pm and had dinner there.

I was rebooked onto a flight from the same airport the following evening. So needed dinner and lunch.

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I see. They’ll probably say you should have eaten at home if you got a bus back. Same with the lunch.
If you were supposed to be at the hotel, then claim a day back from the hotel from your insurance.

But - can you claim compensation overall for then flight delay? Or does it not count as it was ATC?

DeftGoldHedgehog · 18/09/2026 14:46

I don't think you could get the statutory compensation for a cancelled flight but are entitled to recompense for meals etc.

DaftHapeth · 18/09/2026 14:45

U53rName · 18/09/2026 14:43

Aren’t they required by law to give you 250 euros for salary beyond 3 hours?

Not if it’s out of their control. ATC is out of their control.

AlwaysExtraHot · 18/09/2026 14:44

£63 is nothing for dinner, lunch, buses and a taxi. They're obviously chancing their arm.

U53rName · 18/09/2026 14:43

Aren’t they required by law to give you 250 euros for salary beyond 3 hours?

fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:43

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:22

They say ATC restrictions

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This happened to me a couple of years ago. We had lunch at the airport which I just chalked up to one of those things.
But I put a claim in for train tickets to and from the airport for my travel insurance as part of the whole claim and got it back. So I suggest doing that.

Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:43

RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 14:42

That they aren't liable for. That's the point.

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Yes they are. Expenses are separate to compensation and they’re supposed to refund everything that is “reasonable”

OP posts:
Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:42

fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:40

I’m just confused about the timeline. How did you have that plus lunch the next day? Which day was the flight on?
The dinner day or the lunch day?

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The flight was Friday afternoon. I’d have been in the hotel by 7:30pm and had dinner there.

I was rebooked onto a flight from the same airport the following evening. So needed dinner and lunch.

OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 14:42

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:38

Different things. This is reimbursement of expenses.

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That they aren't liable for. That's the point.

fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:40

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:19

Yes, which again I wouldn’t have had.

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I’m just confused about the timeline. How did you have that plus lunch the next day? Which day was the flight on?
The dinner day or the lunch day?

Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:38

LostFuse · 18/09/2026 14:25

If your flight is cancelled, you may be entitled to the rights set out in sections 2 and 3. You may also be entitled to compensation under section 1 of this notice EXCEPT when:

  • The cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, which may include (but not limited to) air traffic control, weather, civil unrest, terrorist alerts and security alerts, strike action and unexpected flight safety shortcomings.
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Different things.

OP posts:
Itchthescratch · 18/09/2026 14:38

It seems that it will be quite complicated to claim in this scenario. Out of interest you say you have claimed for compensationand expenses? How much have you tried to claim for compensation?

Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:38

RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 14:31

So it wasn't that the request was unreasonable.

It was because they legally aren't liable.

BIG difference.

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Different things. This is reimbursement of expenses.

OP posts:
RedToothBrush · 18/09/2026 14:31

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 13:54

Compensation has been outright denied for being out of their control, these are statutory obligations and they’re shirking them b

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So it wasn't that the request was unreasonable.

It was because they legally aren't liable.

BIG difference.

havingdoubtsnow · 18/09/2026 14:28

Why flight companies are allowed to operate different to every other service industry escapes me. It’s like they’re anti customer

LostFuse · 18/09/2026 14:25

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:22

They say ATC restrictions

Show quote history

If your flight is cancelled, you may be entitled to the rights set out in sections 2 and 3. You may also be entitled to compensation under section 1 of this notice EXCEPT when:

  • The cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, which may include (but not limited to) air traffic control, weather, civil unrest, terrorist alerts and security alerts, strike action and unexpected flight safety shortcomings.
Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:22

Cyclistmumgrandma · 18/09/2026 14:10

Only statutory obligations if the cancelled flight was their fault. If it was down to airport issues or bad weather then, no, not their responsibility to pay. Why was the flight cancelled? That makes a difference.

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They say ATC restrictions

OP posts:
Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:19

fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:12

You said you had dinner though too?

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Yes, which again I wouldn’t have had.

OP posts:
Original poster
whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 14:19

Forgottenmyphone · 18/09/2026 14:13

Would you have bought yourself dinner and lunch had your flight gone ahead? Unless it was included in your accommodation price and you missed out due the cancelled flight, then you can’t really claim for feeding yourself. That’s sort of what you’d do anyway.

No. I was due to be in an all inclusive hotel!

OP posts:
ColdAsAWitches · 18/09/2026 14:17

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 13:54

Compensation has been outright denied for being out of their control, these are statutory obligations and they’re shirking them b

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As others have pointed out, they are not required to pay compensation if the flight was cancelled for reasons outside their control. So why have they said it was cancelled?

Forgottenmyphone · 18/09/2026 14:13

Would you have bought yourself dinner and lunch had your flight gone ahead? Unless it was included in your accommodation price and you missed out due the cancelled flight, then you can’t really claim for feeding yourself. That’s sort of what you’d do anyway.

fashionqueen0123 · 18/09/2026 14:12

whatistakinghimsolong · 18/09/2026 13:40

The flight was the next night. I had to eat at the hotel, if I had been on holiday I wouldn’t have been paying for lunch!

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You said you had dinner though too?