- What are my rights if my ferry is delayed or cancelled?
- You could be entitled to compensation for a ferry delay or cancellation?
- Passengers could receive a full refund if their ferry has been cancelled?
- Ferry passengers could receive 25% or 50% compensation of their ticket price?
Ferry Delay Compensation – Know Your Rights
Have you been on a ferry that has been cancelled or delayed, or are you waiting to travel by ferry which has been delayed? If you are looking for ferry cancelled rights or ferry delayed rights, then please read on and find out what you can claim for and the correct way ferry companies should act.
The information on ferry complaints and rights when a ferry has been delayed or cancelled is for ferries that are departing from the UK and for those that are travelling from EU member states.
If a ferry has been cancelled or delayed, then you could be entitled to compensation which could result in 25% or 50% of your ticket price. Please read the following information to understand your rights.
Meals and refreshments when a ferry has been cancelled or delayed
If a ferry has been delayed for more than 90 minutes then passengers of that ferry should be provided with free snacks, meals and refreshments. This also includes those passengers that are travelling on a ferry that has been cancelled.
The type of refreshments and snacks is determined on how long the ferry has been cancelled. According to the Department for Transport, if a ferry has been delayed for more than 90 minutes then passengers should be offered water or tea. If the delayed ferry last more than four hours, then the ferry company should provide a snack or a light meal. If the delay continues more than eight hours, then passengers should be offered a hot meal. This also includes those passengers that are travelling on a ferry that has been cancelled and must wait the same amount of period for a new ferry journey.
Ferry Cancellation Refund Or Alternative Route
If a ferry has been cancelled or delayed for more than 90 minutes, passengers should be offered the following:
- A refund of their ticket price within seven days
- An alternative sailing route at no additional cost.
Accommodation When A Ferry Has Been Cancelled
If a ferry has been cancelled or if a ferry has been delayed and an overnight stay is required, then the ferry company is required to offer passengers accommodation free of charge. The ferry company could offer passengers accommodation onboard the ship or in a local hotel.
If a ferry has been delayed or cancelled due to the weather, then the ferry company does not have to offer accommodation or reimburse passengers.
Compensation When A Ferry Has Been Delayed Or Cancelled
If a ferry has been cancelled or delay, then passengers may be entitled to compensation. Cancelled Ferry Compensation can result in the ferry company providing compensation of 25% of the ticket price, or for that part of the affected journey, if their service is delayed for at least:
- One hour for a journey of duration four hours
- Two hours for a journey of duration between four and eight hours
- Three hours for a journey of duration between eight and 24 hours
- Six hours for a journey of duration of over 24 hours.
If the delay caused by a cancelled ferry or a delayed ferry is more than 24 hours, then the passenger maybe entitled to compensation of 50% of the ticket price. The ferry operator must compensation the passenger within one month of the claim being made. However, if the delay or the cancellation of the ferry was due to bad weather conditions endangering the safety of the passengers then the compensation cannot be claimed.
Read Flight Cancellation Rights