The time rule you need to know for getting £220 delayed flight compensation

This single detail could be the difference between claiming money for your flight delay and not being eligible(Picture: Getty Images) Flight delays are always a risk when travelling, but that doesn’t make them any less of an inconvenience. On Friday, passengers taking an easyJet flight to Turkey were delayed by 12 hours after their pilot cancelled their flight 10 minutes before departure, while travellers flying back from Rhodes to Bournemouth experienced more than 14 hours of flight delays with TUI on Saturday. Chaos has also ensued after the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued a warning about flights being delayed by wrongly packed electrical gadgets, such as vapes and power banks. Not to mention a wildfire near Heathrow Airport closed one of its runways earlier this month, wreaking havoc on travel plans. But, if you want a shot at claiming compensation for your flight delays, you must arrive more than three hours later than your scheduled arrival time. One Jet2 flight carrying holidaymakers from London Stansted to Ibiza declared a general emergency at 35,000ft yesterday, and had to make an abrupt U-turn over France to land at Paris Charles de Gaulle. It then continued on to Ibiza, landing two hours and 38 minutes after its scheduled arrival time, leaving passengers just 22 minutes short of the three-hour threshold for potential compensation. The little-known time rule But, Anton Radchenko, Founder and CEO of flight compensation company AirAdvisor, is urging travellers on any late flight to make sure they’re calculating their delay correctly. You can contact your airline if you’re delayed close to the three hour mark, just to check the official time of arrival (Picture: Getty Images) In reality, the time you land at your destination isn’t necessarily the legally decisive time. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. ‘The legally relevant arrival time is when the aircraft reaches its parking position and at least one door is opened, rather than simply when its wheels touch the runway,’ Anton says. He advises passengers should ask the airline they travelled with for that exact recorded time, as another 22 minutes from touch down to doors open would take the flight across the compensation threshold, in the case of the aforementioned Jet2 flight, for example. Do you qualify for compensation? It’s not just being delayed by three hours or more that will entitle you to compensation on your flight – there are a few stipulations. Firstly your flight must have been with a UK/EU flight or airline, and the delay must’ve been the airline’s fault. These are things like crew shortages or technical faults, but you cannot claim for bad weather or air traffic strikes. How late you are also determines how much compensation you’ll be entitled to. If you want to claim for your delayed flight you can send a claim letter using Money Saving Expert’s Resolver tool. You can claim for different amounts depending on the distance and time of delay (Picture: Getty Images) How much can you claim for? For flights covering distances of up to 1,500km, you can claim £220 for three hours of delays or more, or for flights 1,500km to 3,500km long you can get £350. Now, for flights of 3,500km, a three to four hour delay will entitle you to £260, while delays of four hours or more will entitle you to up to £520. ‘Regardless of the underlying cause, passengers on delayed flights like the Jet2 flight should have become entitled to reasonable meals, refreshments and communications after two hours,’ Anton adds. Our Top Shopping Picks The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them ‘Anyone who paid for reasonable care because [the airline] did not provide it should retain itemised receipts and submit a separate expenses claim.’ Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk Arrow MORE: Solar storms could expose holiday-makers to ‘a month’s worth of radiation in one hour’ Arrow MORE: Lightning and floods leave holidaymakers stranded at London Luton Airport Arrow MORE: Wizz Air passengers face £55 fines for carrying common flight essential The Getaway Expert Your exclusive seven-day guide to travelling with confidence from Metro's resident travel expert, Alice Murphy.