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Flight Information and Other Travel Information
Check-in, Security and Departure
Check-in, Security and Departure
Checking – in
There are now many ways that you can check in for your flight – at a check-in desk, a self-service airport kiosk or online through an airline’s website. Whichever way you to choose to check-in, make sure you do so before the check-in deadline (this will usually be found on the airline’s website or on the confirmation email). And remember that the deadline is the latest time for getting to the desk (or self-serve kiosk) and not the back of the queue. If you miss the deadline, the airline has no obligation to put you on a later flight or refund you your ticket. If you do arrive with little time to spare and there is a big queue, tell an airline representative - don’t risk missing your flight.
The same is true if an airline has a “fast bag drop”. You may have checked in online or at a kiosk but if you don’t drop your bag off in time, you will miss your flight with no guarantee to be out on the next flight or a refund.
Security
At the main security checkpoints before departure your hand luggage will be checked. You will walk through a security gate and you may be frisked. These checks are to protect everyone. At busy times there may well be long queues at the security checks, so allow yourself plenty of time. Co-operate with the security staff, and don't make jokes about the bomb in your suitcase - what you say will be taken seriously, may delay you and hundreds of others, and might even get you arrested. Once you have passed these checks you will not be allowed back to the airport reception area.Some airports now offer “fast track” services, where you can pay a small fee to use a dedicated (and less busy) security channel and therefore save yourself some waiting time.
Departure Lounge
After you have passed through security you will arrive in the departure lounge. Remember that some airports do not announce flight departures over the public address system. Your boarding pass will most likely have the latest time you must reach the gate. But look for, and keep an eye on, the flight indicator boards. These will tell you when to go to the gate for boarding. It's your responsibility to get there on time; if you don’t make to the gate on time the airline has no obligation to put you on the next flight and it might even ask you buy a new ticket.
Downgrading
If you are passenger who has been downgraded. Under EU law (this page provides information on passengers' rights under EU Regulation 261/2004 when a passenger volunteers to be denied boarding from a flight), if you have been downgraded to a class lower than that for which you paid on a flight from an EU airport or on an EU carrier flying from an airport outside the EU to an EU airport then you are entitled to:
Length of journey Reimbursement
- up to 1500km 30% of the price of ticket
- 1500-3500km 50% of price of ticket
- more than 3500km 75% of price of ticket
On most other flights, it depends on the airline. Because of the flexibility of airline ticket prices, what you get back can sometimes be a lottery. Some carriers will refund the difference between the fare you paid and the current highest fare in the class you were downgraded to, for the sector you were downgraded on (this might mean you may not get as much money back as you might have hoped). Some will refund the difference between the fare you paid and what they estimate was the fare (in the class you were downgraded to, and for the sector you were downgraded on) on the day that you purchased your ticket. Others offer somewhere in between.
In-flight Services
Toilets: Surprising though it may seem, airlines are not required by law to provide toilets. Thankfully, most of them seem to think that it is a good idea to do so, except perhaps on very small aircraft on very short routes. If one or more of the toilets on board are out of order, there are no regulations under which an airline must compensate passengers for the inconvenience.
Disruptive Passengers: if you have been the innocent victim of the bad behaviour of a fellow passenger, most airlines would only consider making any sort of compensatory gesture if it could be established that the cabin crew had failed to make any effort to help you at the time. Sadly, they may not always be able to do so if, for example, the flight is full and they cannot offer you a different seat away from the disruptive passenger.
Seating: The only regulations on seating relate to spacing needed to ensure that passengers can evacuate quickly in an emergency. Airline seats do not have to recline, nor are there any regulated comfort standards. Many airlines offer the facility to request a particular seat or seat position (e.g. window seat), but they will not guarantee to honour the request. Some airlines invite passengers to pay a fee for this. But even this is not a guarantee (though if you pay for an allocated seat and you do not get it, then you should get this fee back).
The CAA recommends that UK airlines should ensure that every child is seated beside a responsible adult. But this does not mean that they must seat whole families together.
In-flight Entertainment: Airlines do not have to provide in-flight entertainment, so if there is none available on your flight, or if the entertainment is not what you were expecting or working, you should not expect a particularly sympathetic response should you complain. Of course, many airlines use the lure of the most up-to-date entertainment to sell tickets: if pressed, they might offer a modest ''goodwill gesture'' should the promised entertainment not be available. But you have to ask, and the sum would certainly not buy another flight.
Missed Connection
Many air journeys involve changing between flights in order to get to the final destination. Sometimes they involve making a connection between two or more flights on the same airline; sometimes there may be more than one airline involved in providing the transportation. If disruption to one flight causes you to miss your connection, your rights are different depending on whether:
- the flights are on the same ticket, or
- you make up your own connection using separate reservations
same ticket
If your flights are all on the same ticket and a flight disruption causes you to miss a connection you should be entitled under the contract to a later flight or to a refund (but beware the refund option; you may get back less than you expect because of the way refunds for part-completed journeys are calculated).
Most airlines also provide meals or overnight accommodation if required in line with industry guidelines. But they are not legally obliged to do. When they do not, it is arguable that they should reimburse any reasonable personal expenses in line with the Montreal Convention. But you may have to argue the case in court.
separate reservations
If you put together your own connections using separate reservations, these are separate contracts and you will be on your own if things go wrong. Some airlines advise of the dangers on their websites. It is good advice. If you make up your own connections (sometimes it will be by far the most convenient option), consider building in extra time to allow for delay, if possible.
Schedule Change
This section provides information on schedule changes. All airlines change their schedules from time to time. This can result in significant changes to the time or even date of a flight, but these changes are not the same as flight cancellations. Details of schedule changes should always be notified to passengers in advance.
For significant changes, most airlines will give a refund if the new flight times are not acceptable to the passenger. This includes connecting flights on a single ticket or reservation. But an airline making a schedule change has no responsibility for any connecting flights that you may have booked under separate reservations.
Most airlines’ conditions of carriage simply state that they will make “reasonable efforts”, or will “endeavour”, to tell passengers about a schedule change. But if the message does not get through and you arrive at the airport at the wrong time, and if the airline considers it did all it could to try to advise of the change, it may ask you to buy a new ticket. If it does, you may have little choice but to pay again and to seek a refund from the airline on your return.
Before you accept a schedule change, be sure that it is not actually a cancellation. If the flight number is different, and if you are being told of a change within 14 days of travel, you might be entitled to redress under Regulation EC 261/2004 on denied boarding, cancellation and delay (see our advice on cancellations).
More Consumer Information
Baggage Cancellation Check-in, security and departure Delay Denied Boarding including overbooking Downgrading Financial protection In-flight services Missed connections ABTA CAA AITO ATOL Passports, Visas and Photo ID Schedule changes Tickets and fares How to complain Travel Insurance Airport Parking Travel Money Your Ideal Holiday Legal Process for Complaints Hand Luggage Luggage Allowance
