Weather shocks are arguably some of the most common factors impairing the smooth functioning of air transportation. Depending on the month and year, they account for up to 40% of traffic disruptions within the UK airspace system, while we can also trace a growing trend of weather-related flight disruptions in the last few years. So, the total number of en-route ATFM delays caused by severe meteorological conditions in 2023 was 48% higher than in 2022 and 47% higher than in 2019.Of course, it makes sense for airline operators to postpone their flights if they are deemed unsafe. However, bad weather may also be used by airlines as a good excuse not to pay reimbursement since they often classify weather delays as extraordinary circumstances, exempting themselves from compensating passengers.Although easyJet ranks among the 25 best global aircraft operators and serves an average of 848 daily routes across 30+ countries in Europe and beyond, many flights get disrupted due to poor meteorological conditions. Notably, it’s still possible to receive weather-related easyJet flight delay compensation if certain terms are met, and Skycop can help you get the maximum amount you are entitled to.
Weather Conditions and Airline Operations
Mother Nature has a great power to influence air traffic, and as a passenger, you should know how weather can spoil your travel plans. In fact, there are multiple ways how your flight can be disrupted. First and foremost, strong crosswinds, thunderstorms, and heavy snow, fog, or rain affect flight safety, so it may be delayed to avoid putting passengers at risk. The efficiency of the aviation system as a whole may be affected as well, for example, due to low visibility caused by heavy fog or rain when airports limit the number of aircraft to land and take off from their runways. What’s more, severe meteorological conditions, like blizzards and hurricanes, can damage the infrastructure of an airport, making some of its elements unusable until they are repaired.
Analysing easyJet’s Specific Challenges
Since easyJet operates across 1,000+ routes all over Europe and beyond, there are certain weather patterns affecting flight delays in each geographical region. Thus, routes to such Northern countries as Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are often postponed due to ice storms, heavy snowfalls, and strong winds, while the Western and Central regions suffer from dense fog, rain, and thunderstorms. The situation does not look much different in Eastern Europe with its harsh, snowy winters and summer thunderstorms, which cannot be said about Southern countries where the flights are delayed mainly due to heatwaves and crosswinds. easyJet also flies to Northern Africa with its distinctive climate characteristics, so the airline’s punctuality, in this case, is often affected by sandstorms, extreme heat, dust storms, and wind shears.The overall easyJet’s on-time percentage has reached 67% in 2024, which is 2% more than in 2023, while the chance of suffering a delayed flight due to adverse weather remains the same – almost 1 in 10. Though rare, disruptions do happen. So, the operator cancelled more than 100 flights to Gatwick scheduled for June 11 - 12, 2023, leaving over 15,000 holidaymakers stranded at airports due to thunderstorms. A curious situation also happened on July 5, when easyJet disembarked 19 passengers from the Lanzarote - Liverpool flight since the aircraft was too heavy combined with some winds, and it was difficult to take off. Each volunteer who chose “not to fly” received $500 in compensation and was redirected to a later flight.
Passenger Compensation Regulations
According to EU Regulation 261/2004, airlines exempt themselves from paying flight compensations in the event of extraordinary circumstances, which may include bad weather as well. However, adverse meteorological conditions do not always fall under this category, even if the operator tells you so. There is a great deal of confusion regarding the matter, and that’s why many passengers find it difficult to claim their rights. If you are in trouble, too, seek professional help from Skycop to get the funds they deserve and keep the following information in mind to know what you may be entitled to.Since easyJet compensations hinge on the definition of extraordinary circumstances, it’s crucial to puzzle out the essence of this concept. So, these are generally unforeseen events beyond the control of an airline when no reasonable measures can be introduced to mitigate their negative effects. But how bad are weather conditions for qualifying passengers for easyJet compensation? To fit into the category of extraordinary circumstances, the weather has to be wholly exceptional and freak, as well as severe enough to put airline operations at risk. Other easyJet policies implying that you are not entitled to compensation include:
the flight is delayed due to airport closure caused by bad weather;
you arrive at your destination with a delay of less than 3 hours;
you failed to check in on time;
the flight took place more than 6 years ago;
you cannot provide your travel documents and a valid ticket.
Other European operators have the same policies regarding delay compensations since all of them are regulated by the EU 261/2004 law. Only the statute of limitations for passenger claims differs depending on the country where the airline’s headquarters are located.
Impact of Weather Delays on Passenger Compensation
Considering an incredibly generous definition of adverse weather conditions adopted by airline operators, passenger claims are often filed in a way that gives them every incentive to accuse Mother Nature. Hence, the correlation between flight delays caused by bad weather and the number of compensation claims is pretty low (about 4 in 10) since passengers do not believe they can win the case at all. That’s why it’s better to turn to professional help and entrust all the difficult work to legal experts for the finest results.easyJet pays compensations to those eligible for them, which results in multi-million financial losses every year. So if a flight was delayed for more than 3 hours, and other eligibility criteria are met, a passenger may get up to €600 compensation depending on the route distance. Moreover, travelers are entitled to free snacks and drinks if they wait in the airport for more than 2 hours, which entails additional expenditures from the company’s budget.
Mitigation Strategies and Technological Advancements
easyJet imposes a number of proactive measures to mitigate flight disruptions caused by adverse weather, and technological innovations help a lot in this regard. Thanks to the implementation of advanced systems for weather monitoring, the operator gets real-time updates on meteorological situations during the flight, which allows pilots to make informed, timely decisions. New technologies also enhance communication between traffic controllers, pilots, and meteorologists, enabling better route coordination when abnormal weather patterns arise. Additionally, easyJet uses top-notch computer models to study the impact of different weather conditions on flights to optimise the routes and ensure the comfort of their passengers. Finally, forecasting capabilities have improved greatly as well thanks to the latest technologies.
Conclusion
Adverse weather has always been a significant factor that can disrupt easyJet flights, and its impact is unlikely to decrease as climate change keeps affecting our planet. Even though the integration of new technologies has enhanced the airline’s ability to mitigate weather-related flight delays through improved data analysis and forecasting, disruptions still happen. Thus, you should not neglect the chance to get the compensation you are entitled to – Skycop is here to fight for your rights!
