It’s been a frustrating time for air passengers who’ve found themselves caught up in the recent drone chaos at two major UK airports. Travelling by plane has its ups and downs, and one major downside is when passengers’ travel plans are affected by a delayed flight.
We’ve come across many different reasons for flight delays besides the fairly run of the mill hold-ups such as technical faults and cabin crew illness. We list some of the craziest reasons for flight delays of all time, and whether or not they’re eligible for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
Drones in the air
Drones are the perfect example of how technological advancements are changing the way we do things. They have already provided the likes of Amazon with a faster and more efficient delivery service, they’ve been used to survey damage caused by natural disasters and are currently being considered as an option to transport human organs quicker.
But these emerging unmanned aircrafts have built up a bad reputation recently, most notably for being accused of ruining Christmas. Hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers travelling in and out of Gatwick Airport five days before Christmas in December 2018 were affected by possible drone sightings and less than a month later, 8 January 2019, flights at Heathrow Airport were suspended for over an hour after a drone was spotted in the airspace.
The verdict: No compensation due
As drones are outside of the airlines’ control, and also an event which is not inherent in the normal exercise of running an airline, delays to flights caused by drones are considered to be an “extraordinary circumstance”, which means compensation is not claimable.
Toilet issues
Plane toilets aren’t the most pleasant of experiences, but passengers would much prefer them to be fully functioning than suffer a delay because the lavatory is otherwise “occupied” by a servicing issue.
It has become apparent that planes are not too dissimilar to humans in that they can sometimes be faced with toilet issues…
We’ve has dealt with claims for delays caused by blocked and broken plane toilets but nothing trumps the March 2017 British Airways flight destined to the Caribbean from London Gatwick that was delayed for over five hours due to a lack of toilet roll!
The delay had a knock-on effect to the return service, with the whole situation leaving British Airways facing a £290,000 bill for the loss of time and inconvenience caused to passengers.
The verdict: Compensation due
It must stink for passengers that are delayed by plane toilet facility issues, but there is a crumb of comfort for some as most delays of this kind are considered technical faults, which are claimable under EU Regulation 261/2004.
Animals loose on runway
It is to be expected that animals may stray onto airport runways from time to time, having snuck in through a fence hole or flew in from the sky. But there have been cases where planes have had to put on their brakes after some animals have found themselves outside of their habitat on an airport runway.
In 2017, a 450-pound seal thought the runway at Alaska’s Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport was the ideal place to catch some rays. Passengers needed to wait for Air Traffic Control’s seal of approval before taking off on their travels.
In June 2018, an alligator was found on the runway at Orlando International Airport, causing a Spirit Airlines flight to be delayed while the reptile was moved.
At some coastal airports, hunting birds have been known to drop shellfish onto airport runways. This is considered dangerous as the shells with sharp parts can have detrimental effects on aircraft tyres or get sucked into engines.
Therefore business as usual must stop periodically while shells are cleared up.
Meanwhile, back in 2011, cabin crew and passengers alike were left shell-shocked when a group of migrating turtles shut down an entire runway at New York’s JFK Airport as they made a quest to the other side to lay their eggs.
The verdict: No compensation due
Delays caused by animals on airport runways aren’t covered by EU Regulation 261/2004 as they are generally considered beyond the airlines control.
Vole on a plane
We’ve all heard of snakes on a plane, and some might even remember cats in the cockpit but here’s a new one; vole on a plane.
The firm has been instructed to help passengers after crew on an Emirates flight discovered an unexpected ’furry’ passenger on board the aircraft at Manchester Airport.
The verdict: Compensation due
While a rodent being found on board isn’t an everyday occurrence, the situation has been confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as not an “extraordinary circumstance”, and therefore claimable for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
Organs on board
Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight to Dallas had an out of body experience when their flight was forced to make a U-turn while airborne after a human heart was found on board.
The flight had to return to Seattle to drop the heart off after the “life-critical cargo shipment” was left on board from the previous flight.
Human hearts are only viable for transplant for a number of hours so it was critical that the plane turned back to return the organ. Upon landing, a mechanical issue meant that another aircraft had to be brought in to complete the flight’s journey to Dallas.
A transplant doctor frustrated by the time it takes to transport organs is currently working on a new system to transport organs using drones.
The verdict: Compensation due
In this instance, compensation is due because it was within the airline’s control to:
1. Offload the cargo correctly in the first place
2. It was the airlines decision to turn the plane around
If passengers are delayed for more than three hours due to a mechanical issue, similar to the one which followed in this case, they too would be entitled to claim flight delay compensation as these are not considered extraordinary under EU Regulation 261/2004.
Lucky coins
Lucky for some, not for others…
In June 2017, a flight in Shanghai was delayed after an elderly passenger threw coins into the plane’s engine in the hope that it would bring her good luck.
While some may agree that a plane’s engine is no Trevi Fountain, the 80 year old woman decided to throw her change towards the China Southern Airline aircraft as she prayed for safety.
150 passengers were delayed for several hours while maintenance carried out a full examination, making sure the flight was safe. The police were called but the woman did not face charges.
The verdict: No compensation due
This is not claimable under EU Regulation as it is considered outside of the airlines control due to the actions of a passenger which posed a safety risk.
Surprise foam party
257 passengers were subject to a five hour delay at Manchester Airport in March 2015 when a water canon salute turned into an accidental foam party.
The Virgin Atlantic flight was the first service from Manchester Airport to Atlanta, Georgia so fire crews planned to give the Airbus a traditional send-off with a water canon salute.
But whoever switched the cannons on pressed the wrong button and doused the airbus in fire-supressing foam instead of a jet of water. The thick foam clogged up the jet engines and turbine blades, forcing staff to keep the plane grounded while they carried out the necessary safety checks.
The flight was eventually cancelled with passengers having to stay overnight in a hotel until the airline organised a replacement flight.
The verdict: Compensation due
Although certainly unusual, this is claimable for passengers under EU Regulation 261/2004 as it stemmed from an event which was inherent in the normal exercise of the activity of the air carrier. Virgin Atlantic may have also been entitled to recover the compensation themselves from the person or organisation responsible for the mistake, in accordance with Article 13 of the regulation.