Easy way to claim back hundreds of pounds if your flight is cancelled due to snow

As snow and ice sweeps across the UK, thousands of flights have already been cancelled or severely delayed, causing mayhem for anyone heading off to catch a glimpse of January sun.

If you fall under that unfortunate category, the silver lining is you could be entitled to hundreds of pounds in compensation.

It can feel like a bit of a minefield when it comes to getting your hands on what you're owed, but luckily Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, has explained every step you should take if you find yourself on the receiving end of a cancelled flight.

According to the travel expert, if you're at the airport when you learn your flight has been cancelled, the first thing you should do if your flight gets cancelled is head to the gate agent.

"If you're near the gate, quickly make your way to the gate agent, and see if they can book you on another flight," Radchenko says.

You could be entitled to compensation (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

"Don't be surprised if there's a long line of passengers trying to do the same thing you are. If the line is too long, or if you're in another part of the airport, you can also look for self-service kiosks.

"You might not find these at every airport. But if you do, then you'll scan or enter your details, and see if you've been rebooked on another flight."

Radchenko explained that even if you are successful in catching a new flight to where you need to be, you could still be entitled to compensation.

When to claim compensation for a cancelled flight

According to Citizens Advice, you could be entitled to compensation as long as your cancelled flight meets one of the following four criteria:

• If the flight was leaving from the UK - it doesn't matter which airline
• If you were leaving from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland - again the airline doesn't matter
• If your flight was due to arrive into the UK and was with a UK or EU airline
• If your flight was arriving into the EU and was with a UK airline

However, if none of these conditions apply to you, you should still contact your airline as you could still be entitled to compensation depending on the rules of the country you were flying in and out of.

"Contact the airline if these don't apply to you - for example, because you flew from New York to Los Angeles, or to Europe on a Qantas plane," Citizens Advice explained.

"What you’ll be entitled to will depend on the airline, and the countries you left from and arrived in."

Snow can cause havoc with travel plans (Arlyn McAdorey/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

How much compensation you might get

If your flight is delayed for three or more hours and you're travelling less than 1,500km, you can put in a claim for £220.

And, if your flight is delayed less than four hours and you're travelling more than 3,500km, £260 could be up for grabs.

Meanwhile, you can claim for £350 if it's a three or more hour delay and you're travelling between 1,500km and 3,500km.

£520 could be on the cards for a four hour delay and more than 3,500km travel distance.

If your flight is cancelled, you have a legal right to either a full refund or a replacement flight to get you to your destination.

How to claim compensation

"Contact the airline – this needs to be the airline operating the flight, even if you booked it through another airline. The airline’s customer services department will usually help," Citizens Advice says.

"Be ready to give all your flight details and booking reference numbers. Write your claim – say what went wrong and what you want the airline to give you. Include copies (not originals) of your tickets and any receipts.

"Keep records – keep copies of your claim and any response from the airline. Take notes if you speak to anyone from the airline - this could be useful if you decide to take your claim further."