I was one of the people stranded in the USA due to the volcanic ash disruption. Luckily, I was on the first flight to leave Vegas on Monday evening - dreadful journing with BA. Apparently BA should refund accommodation and food expenses incurred by passengers during the delays. Does anyone know the amounts which can be claimed back from BA and the process for claiming. I cannot find any info on BA's website. Thanks.

The important word is reasonable, there are no specific limits. For example, if you booked yourself into a 5 star hotel when there was a perfectly adequate 3 star they can refuse. If you can show that you tried all the 3 stars and then the 4 stars without any luck and eventually ended up at a 5 star you could say that was reasonable. Also if you spent money without asking them if they wanted to arrange things for you then they can also object - and if they left the airport unstaffed with no-one to ask you can say it was reasonable not to hang around waiting. You claim accomodation, main meals (and again, it has to be reasonable so even if you had to use a 5 start hotel you would be expected to find somehwere cheaper to eat). You can also claim expenses in getting to the hotel and back to the airport, but you can't claim for a taxi if the hotel ran a free shuttle. There is also an entitlement to phone calls home depending on how long you were stuck, I think it's 2 a day. If they had checked in your bags and couldn't give them back you should use the allowances they give for delayed baggage if you had to buy extra clothes etc.

Since your expenses were in US dollars and you're now home I presume you want it paid in sterling. If you banged it all on cards it might be an idea to wait for the statements showing the sterling value after the conversion charges have been added and claim that amount.

You weren't on the BA274 that ended up at Shannon were you?

Other half still stuck in America. Virgin confirmed flight for May 1st even though he was supposed to fly last Tursday on the 15th. Luckily Virgin are paying all expenses but Im not holding my breath for his return any time soon.

Hi - Yes I was on the flight which stopped off in Shannon. Was originally on the flight on 14th Apr which took off and then returned to Vegas after 90 mins! My expenses are very reasonable - totals about £500 for 3 people for 5 days so thats only £33 per day per person for food, accommodation, taxis and phone calls. I know BA were giving out phone cards to passengers enabling to make 2 phone calls home but they had run out of those cards by the time they go round to us and so I have included 2 calls I had to make from my mobile. I reckon BA should regard me and my family as very cheap - considering what we were put through!

I am just not sure how you go about actually making the claim.

Am also exhausted after 5/6 days of pure stress!

Thanks!

I think they've got a bargain with you! I'd give them a few days to see if they put anything on their website and if not just send an itemised list with the receipts and ticket stubs (photocopy or scan them first!!) to the main customer services address. They are still sorting out refunds from the cabin crew strike.

Whilst you were stuck many of us have got hooked on a site called flightradar24.com and we were watching your flight, and several others, doing loops of the Isle of Man and Ireland.

Not v happy with Thomas Cook. My friend & family had 4 flights booked from Dalaman with Easyjet for last Saturday. When they were cancelled she spent ages on the web trying to find alternative flights to get her sons back to school, since the first flights available with Easyjet were for next Monday. Found 4 flights from Antalya and paid for them on Sunday morning and sent e-tickets by email. Checked the flight had left the UK this morning, drove from her apartment in Kalkan to Antalya to be told that TC giving priority to Thos Cook package tour people and they'll have to be put up in a hotel without any idea of when they can come home. Poor family have no summer clothes or wash things as they've left them in their apartment (a 3 hour drive away) and no idea when they'll get home. Why did Thos Cook sell these flights on Sunday if they had no intention of honouring them

Now you are talking compensation payments as well as accomodation and food. TC have bumped them from the flight - not the volcano - they have got to pay compo......

John

Yes. that definately comes under the Denied Boarding Compensation rules, they want some cash at the end as well as all the hotel and food service now.

hi guys i fly out from newcastle- murcia for 10 nights on the 8th of may whats the chances that my flight will go out as scheduled, getting worried cause media and others saying weeks until things return to normal should i be getting concerned for my hols ???

A work colleague who was due to fly home from Florida to Heathrow last Thursday has eventually had a flight leaving around 6pm this evening. Another colleague, who was due to fly back from Dubai on Saturday has phoned today and said she still has no idea when she'll be flying back.

"hi guys i fly out from newcastle- murcia for 10 nights on the 8th of may whats the chances that my flight will go out as scheduled, getting worried cause media and others saying weeks until things return to normal should i be getting concerned for my hols ???"

Flights are now departing as scheduled so unless there is another ash cloud I think you'll be fine on 8th May. You might find theres a bit of a delay or a different aircraft to what you expected.

hi guys i fly out from newcastle- murcia for 10 nights on the 8th of may whats the chances that my flight will go out as scheduled, getting worried cause media and others saying weeks until things return to normal should i be getting concerned for my hols ???

We are due to fly to Tenerife from Bristol on 9th May but won't be worrying just yet. Unless there is a dramatic change in conditions that mean the airspace is closed again between now and then, I would be very surprised if any backlogs created by the events of the past week still existed by the time we are due to fly out.

I fly to Croatia on Sunday 2nd May with Jet2 they are stating that all flights are back to normal now.

So unless there is a further problem with ash your flight will be ok on the 8th May

It just proves to go by a package holiday and not buy cheap with an airline like easyjet & ryanair but going independent.
Some airlines are saying that people with confirmed bookings in the next couple of weeks, will get their holidays honoured and those still waiting to get back with those airlines, with have to be slotted in.

just heard on the radio that some Scottish airports have had toclose again due to more of the thick ash

Lets just see what happens

The latest disruption has closed Inverness, Wick, Kirkwall and Stornoway airports due to an increased atmospheric ash concentration. This has lead to several flights to and from the Orkneys being cancelled or delayed. Airports may open later today, subject to the ash concentration up to 20,000ft reducing. The main airports remain open.

Darren

Hi ,
Me & hubby were in Tenerife and should have been home friday 16th.We cannot fault Thomson's or the Thomson Rep Kim who was the Rep for the Vulcano hotel,we were flight only with them but we were kept in our 4 star hotel and even upgraded to full board on Tuesday 20th.Kim also made sure we had the same rooms, very important for me as I needed the walkin shower.We managed to get home with the first Thomson flight to Newcastle on Thursday 22nd after spending 11 hours in the airport,but that was a small price to pay to get home.They even gave free meals on the plane. for Thomson.

Vulcano hotel

How fitting

John