If your flight was caught up in this week’s UK air traffic control disruption, you may have heard that you are not entitled to compensation. That is only part of the story.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says delays and cancellations caused by the NATS technical issue on the 8th September 2026 — including direct knock-on disruption — are likely to count as “extraordinary circumstances”. In those cases, passengers are unlikely to receive the fixed cash compensation normally associated with a qualifying delay or cancellation.

But the CAA has also reminded airlines that they must still look after affected passengers. If your flight was cancelled, you should be offered a choice of refund or rerouting. If you are left waiting to travel, you may also be entitled to meals, accommodation and transport. The CAA’s statement on the NATS disruption sets out its position.

The rights explained here generally cover flights departing from a UK airport, regardless of airline. They also cover flights arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline, and flights arriving in the EU on a UK airline.

An inbound flight to the UK operated by an airline based outside the UK or EU may fall outside these UK rules. That does not necessarily mean you have no options, but you should check the rules applying to your particular journey. The CAA explains which cancellations are covered by UK law.

For a cancellation covered by UK law, the airline must offer you a choice: a refund for the unused parts of your ticket, rerouting to your destination at the earliest opportunity, or rerouting at a later date that suits you, subject to availability.

Do not accept a refund simply because it is the first option presented if you still need to travel. Once you choose a refund, the airline will generally no longer be responsible for finding you another flight or looking after you while you wait for one.

If you want to travel as soon as possible, ask the airline what rerouting it can offer. That might mean another service operated by the same airline, but the CAA says a flight on a different airline, or other suitable transport, may be appropriate if it would get you there significantly sooner. Discuss that with your airline before buying a replacement ticket yourself where possible. CAA guidance on cancellations and alternative flights.

“Extraordinary circumstances” can affect whether an airline owes fixed cash compensation. It does not remove its duty to provide care when the relevant passenger rights rules apply.

If your flight is cancelled and you are waiting to be rerouted, the airline should provide reasonable food and drink, a means of communication and, if an overnight stay is necessary, accommodation and transport to and from it.

For a delayed flight, the right to care generally begins after two hours for flights under 1,500km, three hours for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km, and four hours for longer flights. If your delay reaches five hours and you decide not to travel, you can choose a refund for the unused flights on your booking. CAA guidance on delays.

Ask the airline to arrange what you need and keep a record of the request. During widespread disruption, it may not be able to organise care for everyone promptly.

If you have to make your own arrangements, keep them reasonable and save itemised receipts for meals, accommodation and necessary transport. The CAA says airlines should promptly reimburse reasonable costs when they cannot provide care themselves. Luxury hotels, expensive meals and alcohol are unlikely to qualify. The CAA’s guidance to airlines following the outage specifically addresses reimbursement during this disruption.

The same practical caution applies if you cannot obtain a suitable replacement flight: contact the airline first, explain the alternative you have found and keep a record of its response. The reasonableness of any self-booked replacement will depend on the circumstances.

You can make a claim if you believe your flight delay or cancellation was not, in fact, caused by the NATS outage or its direct knock-on effects. The CAA’s view is guidance, not an automatic ruling on every individual flight.

For example, the question is whether the airline can show that the extraordinary circumstance caused your particular disruption. A cancellation attributed to an unrelated airline issue should not simply be treated as part of the air traffic control outage without examining the facts.

If the airline rejects your claim, ask it to explain the cause of your flight’s disruption in writing. If you are dissatisfied with its final response, or it has not responded within eight weeks, you can look at escalating through an approved alternative dispute resolution provider or the CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team, depending on the airline. CAA guidance on claims and escalation.

Keep your booking confirmation, flight number, cancellation or delay notifications, screenshots of the airline’s offered options, correspondence and every relevant receipt. Decide whether you want to travel or take a refund before selecting an option online.

Then submit separate requests if necessary: one for reimbursement of reasonable expenses, and another for fixed compensation if you believe the cause of your specific delay or cancellation warrants it.

The key distinction is simple: you may not be owed compensation for the inconvenience, but you may still be owed a flight, a refund or care while you wait.

The air traffic control outage does not erase those rights.