Travel question: Should my taxi expenses be covered after a flight delay?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

Returning from Porto six hours behind schedule warrants compensation (Getty/iStock)

Q Last Saturday my Ryanair flight from Porto to Stansted was severely delayed by six hours, meaning I got back to the UK at almost 3am from Porto. The train wasn’t running, and I ended up having to get a taxi to London from Stansted.

I have just heard back from Ryanair saying they will compensate me the EU-regulated amount they are obliged to (€250) but not for my taxi, which seems absurd as I would never have had to take a taxi home if I’d arrived at the scheduled hour.

Georgia B

A It is impressive to see that Ryanair has already agreed that it will pay you the equivalent of £215 due to you under the European air passengers’ rights rules. This is payable whenever an EU airline arrives three hours or more behind schedule, unless it can demonstrate that “extraordinary circumstances” were to blame.

In addition, I trust the airline also offered a meal at Porto airport while you waited. If for any reason it did not, you can claim the cost of food (but not alcoholic drink) that you bought.

I have no doubt that the delay was frustrating and tiring, particularly if – as is often the case – it was a “creeping delay” rather than you being told hours ahead that you could enjoy one more evening out in Porto.

The compensation is intended “at repairing a loss of time of at least three hours” rather than covering incidental expenses.

In theory you may be able to take legal action against Ryanair under the terms of the Montreal Convention to recover the cost of the taxi (less the normal cost of the rail ticket and onward transport to your final destination) but I question whether such an approach is worthwhile or, indeed, reasonable?

“With National Express buses every 15 minutes through the night from Stansted to Stratford in east London, and approximately half-hourly to Victoria Coach Station with a range of central London drop-off points, I am not sure that I agree that you had no choice but to get a taxi.”

In your position, I would accept the compensation – which will be much more than you paid for the original ticket – and use it for another, hopefully undisrupted trip.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder