Guide
Delayed flight: getting food and hotel costs back
Care while you wait is a separate right from compensation. What the CAA and Your Europe say, why receipts matter, and how it connects to travel insurance.
We are not lawyers. This is legal information, not legal advice, and we are not liable for how you use it. Official sources and the decisions of regulators and courts come first. Read the disclaimer.
The short version
According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, care while you wait is a separate right from compensation. Airlines must provide it whatever the cause of the delay, once the delay is long enough. If the airline does not, you can arrange reasonable care yourself and claim the cost back.
When care starts
According to the CAA, you are entitled to care when your flight is delayed beyond its scheduled departure by at least:
- 2 hours for flights under 1,500 km
- 3 hours for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km
- 4 hours for flights over 3,500 km
What care includes
According to the CAA, care includes food and drink based on the length of the delay, two phone calls or emails, and accommodation with transport if you are delayed overnight. According to Your Europe, EU rules list meals, hotel accommodation and communication facilities. According to the Canadian Transportation Agency, the standard of treatment in Canada depends on the delay and its cause, so read its page.
Making your own arrangements
According to the CAA, if the airline cannot or does not organise care, you may make your own arrangements and claim the costs back later.
- Ask for an itemised receipt or invoice and keep it safe. The airline will need it.
- Check the airline's website for what it considers reasonable. According to the CAA, airlines are unlikely to accept alcoholic drinks, luxury hotels or luxury meals.
- Expect a separate claim. The CAA says airlines may use one form for compensation and another for expenses.
How this connects to travel insurance
According to the Financial Ombudsman Service, most travel insurance policies do not cover claims if the losses can be recovered from another source. It advises asking the airline for a refund or compensation first. Claim from the airline first, then claim only the shortfall from your insurer.
Next steps
The flight claim guide includes wording for claiming the costs you paid while waiting. If your insurer denies the shortfall, the insurance appeal pack builds a letter from your own policy wording.
Sources.
Checked 02 Oct 2026. Where we could only find press reports, the text says so.
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