It was chaos at Manchester Airport over the weekend, as passengers were faced with long delays due to a power cut.

The outage occurring on Sunday, June 23 wrecked travel plans for passengers as flight cancellations led to unprecedented rearrangement of flights.

Airport leaders shared that all flights set for Monday, June 24 "were expected to run as usual."

However, they did tell people to check with their airlines before travelling on Monday, due to the possibility of more cancellations.

In these circumstances, the team at Claims.co.uk has offered advice.

A spokesperson said: "Whilst booking a package holiday can slash the cost of going away, if your flight is cancelled you can risk having your whole holiday cancelled or rearranged."

They explained that those who had their package holidays impacted have the rights to either claim a full refund, a reroute of the trip destination and potentially compensation from the airline.

However, they added: "In these specific circumstances, delays and cancellations caused by air traffic control restrictions are considered an 'extraordinary circumstance' and therefore do not qualify for compensation."

Despite this, the spokesperson outlined that airlines are obligated to provide additional services in such situations, including free meals, refreshments, accommodation and airport transfers relative to the length of delay.

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In the event of a package holiday cancellation by the travel operator, they are obligated to inform customers as soon as possible to allow time for making alternative arrangements or seeking refunds.

The Claims.co.uk representative advised: "If you are at the airport when the flight is cancelled, it is advised that you contact your travel company straight away to talk through your options."

They added, "If the delay lasts more than five hours, but is not actually cancelled, you should also be able to choose not to travel and get a full refund on your ticket.

"If your flight cannot be rearranged, meaning your whole holiday must be cancelled, then the travel company must offer an alternative holiday if possible, or a refund of the full package price, not just the flight part."

Deciding whether to claim a full refund or reschedule can be tricky, and could hinge upon considerations such as the refund amount, availability of suitable alternate dates, change fees and travel insurance.

Consumers should note: "If you received less than 14 days’ notice of the cancellation, you can claim compensation.

"This can be awarded in pounds or euros depending on where your flight was due to depart from."

Compensation amounts vary with the flight distance, it is £220/€250 for a flight of 1,500km or less, £350 / €400 for all flights between 1,500km and 3,500km, and £520/€600 for all other flights.