“This summer the number of people who took a flight from national airports remained the same as in 2023: 10 million passengers. However, flight disruption rates – delays and cancellations – fell from 38% in 2023 to 36.4% in summer 2024. Of these, around 285,000 passengers would be entitled to financial compensation,” reads a statement released by the air passenger rights company.

AirHelp data shows that, worldwide, there were almost 13 million people entitled to compensation for disruptions to their flights during the summer, 2.2% of which are “related to delays and cancellations originating at Portuguese airports”.

AirHelp reminds us that, when a flight is cancelled or the passenger is prevented from boarding, “airlines must offer an alternative flight that the passenger can refuse if they do not wish to continue their journey”, in which case a full refund of the ticket value may be requested.

“According to European legislation on passenger rights, passengers who experience these disruptions are entitled to additional compensation in the event of delays of more than three hours upon arrival at their destination, cancellations without prior notice less than 14 days before the date of departure and denied boarding due to overbooking caused by the airline,” explains AirHelp.