With Storm Bram grounding flights nationwide, the Irish Aviation Authority’s Consumer Protection Commission issued a special bulletin on 9 December outlining travellers’ entitlements under EU Regulation 261/2004. The notice urges passengers to check flight status directly with airlines but emphasises that carriers must offer a choice of refund or re-routing, plus ‘care and assistance’ – meals, accommodation and transport – when cancellations or long delays occur.
The authority stresses that extraordinary weather exempts airlines from compensation payments, yet core welfare obligations still apply. If an airline fails to provide meals or hotel rooms, travellers should make reasonable arrangements, keep receipts and claim reimbursement later. The guidance applies to all departures from Irish airports and to arrivals operated by EU carriers.
The reminder is timely: Dublin Airport alone cancelled more than 100 rotations during the storm’s peak, and forward bookings show a 17 % increase in December corporate travel compared with 2024. Mobility teams are therefore being advised to circulate the IAA link to travelling staff and ensure that travel-management companies have authority to re-book alternative routings without waiting for airline approval, which can be slow during surge periods.
![Irish Aviation Authority reminds passengers of EU-261 rights amid weather chaos]()
For travellers juggling documentation as well as flight changes, VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a rapid way to confirm visa requirements, secure last-minute e-visas and arrange passport services, giving mobility managers confidence that employees rerouted because of Storm Bram won’t face entry issues at their final destination.
In addition, companies should review their travel-insurance policies: some lower-tier corporate plans still classify ‘weather events’ as an exclusion for accommodation claims, leaving employers to foot the bill. The IAA bulletin provides a handy checklist of documents – boarding pass, booking confirmation, expense receipts – that must accompany any EU261 claim.
Passengers whose claims are refused can escalate the case to the National Enforcement Body via the IAA’s online form. The regulator processed more than 3,200 complaints in 2024 and expects a spike once Storm Bram’s impact is fully tallied.
The authority stresses that extraordinary weather exempts airlines from compensation payments, yet core welfare obligations still apply. If an airline fails to provide meals or hotel rooms, travellers should make reasonable arrangements, keep receipts and claim reimbursement later. The guidance applies to all departures from Irish airports and to arrivals operated by EU carriers.
The reminder is timely: Dublin Airport alone cancelled more than 100 rotations during the storm’s peak, and forward bookings show a 17 % increase in December corporate travel compared with 2024. Mobility teams are therefore being advised to circulate the IAA link to travelling staff and ensure that travel-management companies have authority to re-book alternative routings without waiting for airline approval, which can be slow during surge periods.
For travellers juggling documentation as well as flight changes, VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a rapid way to confirm visa requirements, secure last-minute e-visas and arrange passport services, giving mobility managers confidence that employees rerouted because of Storm Bram won’t face entry issues at their final destination.
In addition, companies should review their travel-insurance policies: some lower-tier corporate plans still classify ‘weather events’ as an exclusion for accommodation claims, leaving employers to foot the bill. The IAA bulletin provides a handy checklist of documents – boarding pass, booking confirmation, expense receipts – that must accompany any EU261 claim.
Passengers whose claims are refused can escalate the case to the National Enforcement Body via the IAA’s online form. The regulator processed more than 3,200 complaints in 2024 and expects a spike once Storm Bram’s impact is fully tallied.
