Are delayed passengers entitled to their money back?

AS SYDNEY airport faces another day of delays and cancellations, are passengers entitled to compensation or their money back?

What are your rights when your flight is cancelled? Picture: 7 News/Twitter

AIRLINES are scrambling to assist stranded passengers as more strong winds force flights to be cancelled at Sydney airport for a second day.

Many of those passengers have been waiting for a flight since Thursday, when strong winds closed two of Sydney’s domestic runways and forced about 100 flights to be cancelled.

As airlines struggle to cope with the backlog, which could start to be felt around the country, what kind of compensation are the passengers eligible for?

Sometimes, passengers facing flight cancellations aren’t eligible for compensation at all, finder.com.au’s insurance expert Bessie Hassan said.

“Most airlines will do what they can to provide alternative options for inconvenienced passengers in bad weather, but passengers aren’t always owed compensation as it’s seen as being out of the airline’s control,” she said.

With today’s cancellations affecting only domestic flights, Ms Hassan said it was unlikely many travellers were insured but those who were should check with their insurer.

“Essentially, if a flight is cancelled due to plane issues it’s up to the airline to reimburse or compensate passengers. However, travel insurance will usually cover out of pocket expenses in the event your flight is cancelled due to severe weather issues,” she said.

“Only domestic flights have been cancelled so far so the proportion of travellers with insurance is likely to be small, but those on connecting flights en route overseas may be impacted and should check with their insurer.”

While frustrated passengers have lashed out at airlines about Friday’s delays, Ms Hassan said not all airlines offered refunds to affected passengers.

“Most major airlines will place passengers on the next flight out if the flight time has been significantly changed, such as in an unexpected cancellation,” she said.

“Some airlines such as Qantas should also offer optional refunds if they can’t place passengers on a replacement flight. Tigerair and Virgin don’t typically refund but should provide credit notes instead.

“Some airlines will provide refreshment vouchers for cancellations caused by issues within their control, but unfortunately bad weather isn’t one of these issues.”

Air Services Australia is urging people flying domestically out of Sydney airport today to contact their airline in advance.

For more information about travel insurance and flight cancellation, see finder.com.au’s comparison tool.