Art 5(3)
The airline blamed the weather
"It was weather" is the most common refusal, and one of the most commonly overstated. The bar is higher than airlines imply.
The short answer
Weather can be a valid defence — but only for the delay it genuinely caused, and the airline has to prove it took reasonable measures.
The one thing to know: The airline must show the weather actually prevented your specific flight, and that it could not limit the knock-on delay. If other aircraft were flying normally around your slot, the defence is in trouble.
How it actually works
- Two limbs, not one
- It is not enough that bad weather existed somewhere. The airline must prove the weather genuinely stopped your flight and that it took all reasonable measures to avoid the consequences.
- Check it yourself
- Historic weather records (METAR) are public. If conditions had cleared well before your departure, or other flights operated normally, ask the airline to explain why yours did not.
- The rotation trap
- A delay often blamed on weather is really an aircraft arriving late from an earlier flight. That inherited delay is usually the airline's problem, not the weather's.
Contested causes are worth a second opinion before dropping it. A check is free and commits you to nothing.
What to do now
- Photograph the evidence — the departure board, the app before it updates, the arrival time when the door opens. The full checklist →
- Write to the airline, quoting the article and the flight. Use the template →
- Give them 28 days, then escalate free to the national enforcement body.
- Check your time limit — it ranges from one year to six by country. See yours →
Questions
The airline blamed the weather: am I owed compensation?
Weather can be a valid defence — but only for the delay it genuinely caused, and the airline has to prove it took reasonable measures.
How do I claim it?
Write to the airline first, quoting the article and flight, and allow 28 days. It is free and you keep the whole amount. Escalate to the national enforcement body if refused.