Luton Airport fire: What to do if your flight was delayed or cancelled after car park blaze

Departures and arrivals into Luton Airport were suspended after a massive blaze at Terminal Car Park 2 on Tuesday night.

With emergency responders needing to evacuate the area whilst a blaze ripped through the new parking facility, all flights were suspended.

More than 200 flights were cancelled, forcing thousands of people to make new arrangements.

As the fire was not the fault of the airlines, passengers are not eligible to claim compensation on top of a refund in the event of a cancellation. But, by law, affected parties can arrange an alternative flight or refund via the company.

A spokesperson for Claims.co.uk said: “In these specific circumstances, delays and cancellations caused by air traffic control restrictions are considered an ‘extraordinary circumstance’ and therefore do not qualify for compensation.

“In cases of flight delays and flight cancellations due to an ‘extraordinary circumstance,’ the airline must provide you with additional services, depending on the length of your delay and waiting time.

“These additional services include free meals and refreshments, which you are entitled to when your flight is delayed by at least two hours. Passengers should also receive free overnight accommodation and a transfer to and from the airport if the flight is shifted to the next day.

“If a travel operator needs to cancel a package holiday for any reason, they are required to notify you as soon as possible and without undue delay. This is to ensure that you have enough time to help you make alternative arrangements or seek refunds.

"However, in many people's case due to the disruption, if you are at the airport when the flight is cancelled, it is advised that you contact your travel company straight away to talk through your options.”

In a statement, easyJet said: “We are doing all possible to minimise the impact on our customers, providing those on cancelled flights with options to rebook or receive a voucher or refund, as well as providing hotel accommodation and meals where required.

“We advise all customers due to fly with us from Luton to check the status of their flights on Flight Tracker at www.easyjet.com/en/flight-tracker for real-time information before travelling to the airport.

“The safety and wellbeing of customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and although this situation is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to our customers for the inconvenience caused. For queries relating to a parked vehicle or a future car park booking please contact: [email protected]”

Wizz Air said: “All affected passengers who booked directly through Wizz Air will be contacted and provided updates via email and SMS. Customers who booked through a third-party should contact them for further information. Though the situation is beyond our control, Wizz Air apologises for any inconvenience caused and is doing everything in its power to minimise disruption.”