British tourists could win flight compensation after Portugal holiday chaos

If improvements aren’t made soon, airlines warn that Portugal risks losing revenue (Image: Getty)

As peak travel season kicks off, Portugal’s top airports are buckling under pressure, with Ryanair demanding government action earlier this month to prevent a tourism disaster. Chaotic scenes unfolded at the country's busiest airports, Lisbon, Faro, and Porto this month. Many passengers are now wondering if they can claim compensation for disrupted travel caused by the staff shortages and hour-long queues.

Budget airline Ryanair issued an urgent call for intervention from Portugal’s newly installed government, warning that the staffing crisis at immigration checkpoints is threatening to derail the summer tourist season. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers delayed or forced to miss flights may be entitled to rebooking, care, and sometimes financial compensation. However, when delays stem from border control staffing shortages rather than airline issues, compensation rights can be a 'grey area', an expert has just revealed. 

Ryanair blamed under-preparation by ANA, Portugal’s airport authority (Image: Getty)

Ivaylo Danailov, CEO of airline compensation specialists SkyRefund, said: "When severe border control delays at Portugal’s major airports cause missed flights, airline passengers may be entitled to compensation or rerouting under EU Regulation 261/2004, especially if the airline could have mitigated the disruption.

"But it is a grey area, because airlines are not required to pay compensation if a delay or missed flight was due to factors outside their control, such as political instability, extreme weather, or airport staff strikes (which includes border control issues not managed by the airline.

"But, if the airline could have reasonably foreseen the disruption, for example, repeated border delays and failed to act, it has been known for courts to have sometimes ruled in favour of the passenger.

"For instance, they may argue the airline should have allowed more time for security and border procedures or co-ordinated better. Either way passengers have a right to care and rebooking."

Ryanair COO, Neal McMahon said earlier this month: "It is unacceptable that passengers – many of whom are travelling with young families – are suffering border control delays of up to 2.5hrs at Faro, Lisbon, and Porto Airports as a result of staff shortages.

"Over the last 2 weeks alone, over 270 passengers have missed their flights just because airport operator, ANA, has not ensured that adequate staff are in place to manage border control at Faro, Lisbon, and Porto Airports – some of Portugal’s main airports. This is not good enough, and the problem will only worsen as we go further into the summer season and traffic numbers increase.

"Ryanair calls on the new Govt to urgently intervene and fix these ongoing border control staff shortages at Faro, Lisbon, and Porto Airports, so that Portuguese families will not be forced to suffer 2.5 hour long queues just to get away on their well-deserved holidays."