NEW ZEALAND – In the winter months, wild weather can put a damper on travel plans, leading to flight delays and cancellations.
So, what are your rights if your flight is disrupted – and what compensation are you entitled to?
The Civil Aviation Act
In New Zealand, the Civil Aviation Act requires an airline to reimburse you if a domestic flight is cancelled or delayed for reasons within its control, such as staffing issues.
You’re entitled to compensation of up to 10 times the cost of your airfare, or the amount of damage you can prove was caused by the delay – whichever figure is the lowest.
If the airline is at fault, expenses they may need to cover could include meals, taxi fares, accommodation costs and event tickets. Be sure to keep hold of any receipts.
The airline may offer to put you on a new flight and provide accommodation, if the flight isn’t until the next day. But if this doesn’t suit, you can ask for a refund instead.
Weather, however, is not within an airline’s control. So, if your flight is cancelled due to bad weather, the airline is not obligated to offer you compensation.
Consumer Guarantees Act
Airlines must also reimburse passengers for delayed and cancelled flights that were their fault under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
They may need to refund your airfare and cover unexpected costs that leave you out of pocket, such as meals, taxi fares and missed connections.
Again, an airline doesn’t have to compensate you if the delay or cancellation couldn’t have been avoided, such as when bad weather prevents a plane taking off.
Your first step should be to contact your airline about compensation. If they don’t offer you as much as you think you’re entitled to, you can take the matter to the Disputes Tribunal, but this can be time-consuming and costly.
Travel insurance
Having domestic travel insurance may offer additional protections should your flight be disrupted for reasons outside the airline’s control, like bad weather.
You’ll likely be entitled to claim for pre-paid expenses like accommodation and activities, depending on your insurance policy.
For delays over six hours, you may also be reimbursed for additional expenses like accommodation and meals.
Refundable rates
If you don’t have travel insurance, you’ll need to check the cancellation policies of any accommodation and activities you’ve booked to see if you’re entitled to a refund.
While this can be at the operator’s discretion, you may not be entitled to your money back just because you couldn’t get there because of a disrupted flight.
