What can I do if I miss my flight due to queues and delays at airport security?

Passengers travelling through some UK airports this summer need to be prepared for long waits at security.

While airports are optimistic that delays won't be as bad as last year, there remains the threat of strikes at several airports. But at some airports queues come as standard. Manchester regularly has long queues. In last year's survey of the best and worst UK airports it received one star for queues at all three terminals.

If you miss your flight because of a long security queue, getting any kind of refund or compensation can be difficult, although some airlines have policies in place to help.

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Can I get a refund or compensation if I miss my flight because of airport security queues?

Probably not. Queues at the security check are the responsibility of the airport rather than your airline. Your airline isn’t liable to pay compensation or refund you if you miss your flight because of long queues at security.  

Unfortunately, it will be difficult to get the airport to reimburse you. No large UK airport has a policy to compensate passengers who have missed flights because of long security queues. In law, passengers could possibly claim frustrated contract and argue the airport is at fault for them missing their flight - but this would almost certainly require going to court.

What about queues at the airline check-in desk?

Some passengers have reported long queues at check in desks and bag drop at airports. This is the responsibility of the airline, even if it has outsourced the service to a third party.

If you have arrived at airport at the time you were instructed to by the airline and miss your flight because the queue at check-in or bag drop was too long you may be able to claim against the airline under the consumer rights act. Again, this is unlikely to be straightforward and may involve a court case.

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Can I claim on my travel insurance if I miss my flight because of long queues?

It depends on your travel insurance policy. While some policies include cover for missed departures not all will cover you if the missed departure is caused by long queues at the airport.  

This is not always well defined in the policy either. Insurers often cover extraordinary circumstances for missed departures (such as weather making roads impassable or sickness) but not those things within your control (which they may define as airport security).

If you do want to claim, it will be crucial to provide evidence that you turned up at the time advised by the airport, or airline. This could be a bus ticket or parking stub that marks your arrival at the airport with a time and date, or a receipt from a shop or restaurant inside the terminal.

What should I do if I’m about to miss my flight because of queues?

Make a fuss. Most airports will bring you to the front of the queue if your flight is due to depart shortly so try and find a member of staff and explain you have been called to the gate. If you think you are going to miss the flight, contact your airline. 

Here’s what British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic say about missed flights:

A handful of flag carriers will simply put you on the next flight at no extra cost. British Airways for example will try and rebook you without charge. It says:

‘If you need to change any aspect of your transportation because of events beyond your control, you must contact us as soon as possible. We will use reasonable efforts to transport you to your next stopover or final destination, without re-calculating the fare.’

Virgin Atlantic has a similar policy.

If you checked in and arrived at the airport at the time advised by the airline and long queues caused you to miss the flight this should fall under events beyond your control.

Some airlines, such as easyJet and Ryanair, offer 'rescue fares'. To take advantage of this you will usually need to have been at the airport two hours before your scheduled departure time. You should contact the airline immediately for help.

Both airline's rescue fare fees are high, but may be cheaper that rebooking a new fare. EasyJet charges £110 and Ryanair £100 per passenger to rebook a missed flight.

Should I claim the taxes back for my missed flight?

You will see some advice suggesting you claim your air passenger duty back from the airline if you miss your flight. All airlines are obligated to issue this refund, but most also charge a fee which costs more than the refund you’ll receive.

You’ll be due £13 for economy class tickets in Europe. Ryanair charges £17 for its Government Tax Refund Administration Fee and Jet2 charges £25. 

Check with your airline to make sure the refund you’ll receive outweighs the charge.

Will there be strikes at airport security this summer?

Currently the only planned strike, of Birmingham Airport security officers and terminal technicians, has been suspended while the union considers the airport's latest offer. There is the possibility of strike action at other airports but, so far, nothing that looks like it will affect security queues.

You can keep up to date with all the latest strike news in this story on the summer strikes affecting flights and holidays.