Spain and Portugal storms threaten holidays – what are your rights for delays and cancellations?
Holidaymakers in Spain are being warned of storms and wintry weather across the Iberian peninsula, including the islands. Already on Friday at least five flights to the holiday island of Mallorca have been diverted due to storms.
Over the weekend, a 'Status Orange' storm warning covers large swathes of the country, with thunderstorms predicted in the northern regions, including Barcelona and Madrid.
These are the key questions and answers.
What is the effect so far?
Palma airport – third-busiest in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona – has seen a series of diversions on Friday, including a Ryanair flight from Prestwick in Scotland. The Boeing 737 entered a holding pattern for Palma airport but then diverted to Ibiza.
Other Ryanair flights diverted to the same island, as did a Eurowings arrival from Leipzig. Some planes went to Barcelona when they could not land at Palma. With operations in disarray, cancellations have begun – with Vueling grounding a round trip from Granada.
Storms are predicted over the Balearic island until 7pm local time on Friday. Bad weather over the province of Galicia in northwest Spain is predicted until 9pm. There are also problems predicted until midnight in the northeast province of Aragon, which borders France.
What are my rights if my flight is diverted?
The airline is obliged to get you to your intended destination as soon as possible. Normally this can be arranged by road, but since Mallorca is an island it will prove trickier – especially if domestic links from Ibiza and Barcelona are disrupted. Some passengers may end up on ferries. The airline is obliged to meet the cost, and pay for meals while the passenger is waiting to reach their destination.
Travellers who have bought package holidays can expect the tour operator to sort out the problem for them.
Homebound holidaymakers are also affected, with about 1,000 departing seats at lunchtime heavily delayed or cancelled because the aircraft are elsewhere. The airline must provide meals and accommodation until the passenger can be flown home – on any airline that has seats available.
I can see other airlines landed safely at my intended destination. Do I get compensation?
No. Each airline will have its own safety rules and the fact that (for example) Ryanair from Prestwick diverted to Ibiza while Jet2 landed from London Stansted is not material.
What is the outlook for the weekend?
Stormy. The worst issues appear to be in the north and east of mainland Spain, but ranging as far south as parts of Andalucia. The most intense storms are predicted for the areas south of the Pyrenees and around Cuenca, southeast of Madrid. The worst of the storms in the mainland are expected to end around 6am on Sunday, with the Costa Daurada seeing the tail end of the current bout of bad weather.
For the Canary Islands, the two main islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria are expecting high winds between 12 noon and 6pm.
By Sunday afternoon, the northern part of the island of Mallorca is expecting storms from 1-7pm, local time.
The bad weather has been brought by a low-pressure system moving in from the Atlantic, as well as a cold air mass that is making its way across the Iberian Peninsula.
What about Portugal?
Worst affected is the holiday island of Madeira, which is covered by orange weather warnings for heavy rain on Saturday afternoon and evening, and into Sunday morning. Madeira's airport is highly susceptible to adverse weather, but so far no flights have been affected.
I no longer wish to travel to Spain or Portugal this weekend – can I get a refund or switch destination?
If the flight or holiday is planned to go ahead as expected, normal cancellation rules apply – which means you are likely to lose most or all of your money. However, tour operators may respond positively to requests to go to a different destination if they have space available.
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Times
an hour ago
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Times
an hour ago
- Times
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He worked for the Australian foreign office and we've lived in Perth, Australia, since then. Now I'm mostly retired, although I still do freelance management consulting with businesses including KPMG. We love to travel, and do a big six-week trip every 18 months or so. I like to think we know what we're doing, but anyone can be caught off-guard. We were on one of our big trips, taking in Malta and going around the Croatian islands. We'd had a week in England, then came to Spain. The plan was to fly to Barcelona, pick up a hire car, then drive to see friends in Perpignan in France for a few days, then back down to Moraira, to stay with other friends. It was a very early flight from Heathrow, so we were tired by the time we hired the car from Centauro at Barcelona airport, and quite frazzled when this man pulled us over. He kept yammering on at us in Spanish, getting very excitable, and he kept trying to get me out of the car. Eventually, I did get out to see what was going on. I felt uncomfortable, though, and so picked up the car keys and both of our phones — which are in wallet-style phone cases with our bank cards. Looking back, I should have locked the car. But perhaps the passenger door was open, I can't recall. I came to the back of the car, and Greg and I did our best to understand what he was trying to tell us. We were looking for a scratch or a flat tyre or something. Although this man positioned himself so that we were often looking away from the car, towards him. After a few minutes, he gestured for us to wait and walked back to his car as if he was going to get something. Then he suddenly drove off. We were like, 'What was that?' It was so weird, because we couldn't see anything wrong with the car. So we got back in, and only then did we realise that my handbag was gone. It had been in the footwell of the passenger seat, so the person I saw in the back of their car must have sneaked out and taken whatever they could. We didn't see or hear a thing. Thank God I had picked up our phones and credit cards. But they got our passports — both my British and Australian ones — and also lots of inconvenient things like my Australian medical card, make-up and glasses. Luckily, we were meeting a friend near Girona, just north of Barcelona, who was able to help us speak to the police in Spanish. We found a police station, reported it, and then called the foreign office in Canberra about our passports. They said we had to go to the Australian Embassy in Madrid. This was Monday. We made an appointment at the embassy for Wednesday, then had to drive for eight and a half hours on Tuesday to get to Madrid. We got new passports, but temporary ones that last for nine months. And it cost us about $250 Australian dollars (£120) each. I believe we were targeted because the car had a big sticker with the car hire company name on the back. I've since learned that it's a very common problem on the road around Barcelona. On the way back, we noticed lots of warning signs in English, saying: 'Don't stop for anybody.' But we hadn't seen any on the way out of Barcelona. Our friends who live in France, just over the border, told us that they've driven down that road and seen lots of tricks to try to get tourists to stop. Even a doll in a pushchair with ketchup on it, so it looks as though a child has been injured. Apparently it's quite well known, and locals would never stop. • 'I was forced to abandon a case of expensive wine at Palermo airport' I do think the car hire company should have warned us, particularly since having that sticker on the back of the car made us a target. The Australian foreign office does have a warning about this on their website. But I personally would never have thought to check travel warnings for Spain. Maybe if I was travelling to Afghanistan, but not Spain. It took me a few days to get over it, thinking about how we could have been so stupid, and what we could have done differently. But on the other hand, if we'd seen him and tried to stop him, they might have hurt us. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) says that 'highway pirates' in Spain can target foreign-registered and hire cars, especially those towing caravans. They may flag you down, claiming there is something wrong with your car or that you have damaged theirs. If you decide to stop to check the condition of a vehicle, stop in a public area with lights, such as a service station. Be wary of anyone offering help. When driving, be wary of approaches from people posing as plainclothes police in unmarked cars. In all traffic-related matters, police officers will usually be in uniform. Unmarked police vehicles have a flashing electronic sign on the rear window saying 'Policía' or 'Guardia Civil'. Genuine police will only ask you to show vehicle documents — not to hand over your bag or wallet. The FCDO does not keep statistics specifically on carjacking, but consular data show that the number of Brits having reported being a victim of crime in Spain is on the rise. • Seven of the biggest travel scams (and how to avoid them) To report a crime, including stolen property and lost or stolen passports, you can file a police report (denuncia) at the nearest police station. Some Spanish cities offer a Foreign Tourist Assistance Service (Servicio de Atención al Turista Extranjero or SATE) where you can report crimes in English. Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do. The FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including finding English-speaking lawyers, translators and interpreters in Spain, or getting help if you're a victim of crime. Always check the latest advice from the FCDO before travelling
