Bad Weather and Flight Delays: Your Rights on Loganair Flights

Was your Loganair flight delayed due to weather?

Weather delays are common on Loganair flights, particularly on regional and island flights where conditions can change quickly and disrupt schedules. When this happens, many passengers are left wondering whether they can claim compensation — or if weather automatically means they have no rights at all.

In reality, if it’s a flight delay due to weather, UK261 rules can still protect you. While severe weather often counts as extraordinary circumstances (meaning UK flight compensation may not apply), passengers may still be entitled to important support from the airline.

In this article, we explain your rights to care, refunds, and rebooking.

Check your compensation online.

Bad Weather Is an Extraordinary Circumstance

Under UK261, weather can be classed as extraordinary circumstances when conditions are so severe that the airline cannot operate the flight safely. In these cases, the airline may not have to pay compensation — but only if the weather was genuinely the main cause of the disruption.

Weather delays are more likely to be considered extraordinary when they involve:

• Severe storms or extreme winds that make take-off or landing unsafe
• Heavy snowfall, ice, or blizzards that close runways or slow airport operations
• Dense fog or very low visibility that forces flight restrictions
• Dangerous flying conditions where flights are grounded for safety reasons

In simple terms, if the aircraft cannot legally or safely fly, the disruption may qualify as extraordinary.

Are Weather Delays Covered by UK261 Compensation?

In most cases, no — if a Loganair flight delay is caused by severe weather, you are usually not entitled to compensation under UK261.

This is because extreme weather conditions are generally considered extraordinary circumstances, meaning they are outside the airline’s control.

However, this does not mean you have no rights. Even when compensation isn’t payable, UK261 still protects passengers in other ways.

Your Air Passenger Rights Even If Flight Compensation Doesn’t Apply

Flight delayed due to weather? Compensation is not due.

However you may still be entitled to the right to care, which can include meals and refreshments during long waits, hotel accommodation if an overnight stay is necessary, and transport between the airport and the hotel.

If your flight is cancelled, you also have the right to choose between a refund or rebooking on an alternative flight.

• Meals and refreshments – provided during longer airport delays (usually once the delay reaches 3 hours)
• Hotel accommodation – covered if you need to stay overnight
• Transport to/from the hotel – included when a hotel stay is required
• Refund or rebooking (if flight is cancelled) – you can choose a full refund or an alternative flight

Even when weather causing flight delays is involved, passengers may still have important rights to care, rebooking, or a refund under UK261.

When You Might Still Get Compensation (Flight Delay Due to Bad Weather)

Even though weather delays are often classed as extraordinary circumstances, there are situations where you may still be entitled to compensation under UK261.

• The weather improved but delays continued. If bad weather caused an earlier disruption but conditions cleared and your flight was still delayed for airline-related reasons, compensation may still apply.
• The weather wasn’t bad enough. If conditions were normal or only mildly disruptive (for example, light rain or standard seasonal wind), the airline may still be responsible for the delay.
• Knock-on delays caused by scheduling problems. Airlines sometimes blame weather for delays that are actually caused by poor aircraft rotation, crew availability, or operational disruption earlier in the day.
• Poor planning or avoidable operational issues. If the airline could have taken reasonable steps to reduce the delay (for example, arranging a replacement aircraft, rerouting, or managing crews properly) but failed to do so, the delay may no longer be considered “extraordinary” in practice.

How to Claim Loganair Compensation?

There are two main ways how you can claim Loganair compensation.

1. One of the options is to contact Loganair yourself. Call Loganair of fill their online form. Fill in the form, give all the details about your flight, including how long was the delay, and what was the reason for delay. Refer to the Regulation UK261 or the EC Regulation 261/2004 (if it was a flight from the EU/EEA).
2. Use a flight compensation firm. Flight compensation companies handle the entire process for you, including dealing with Loganair and challenging claims that have been rejected. Most of these companies work on a no-win, no-fee basis, meaning you only pay if Loganair compensation is successfully recovered.

Flight delays due to weather are often considered extraordinary circumstances (so compensation may not apply), but passengers may still be entitled to care, rebooking, or a refund under UK261.

Featured photo by Soly Moses from Pexels