LOT weather delay and EU 261
LOT Weather Delay Compensation: Bad Weather Refusal Rights
If LOT Polish Airlines blamed bad weather for a delay, cancellation or missed connection, the claim is not automatically over. Weather can be an extraordinary circumstance, but LOT should prove the specific event, its impact on your flight and the reasonable measures taken.
A ClaimWinger guide to checking LOT weather refusals, care rights, expense reimbursement and final-arrival delay.
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Quick answer: weather can block compensation, but only with proof
Bad weather can be a valid defence under EU 261 when it is severe enough to affect safe operation or airport restrictions. But a generic line such as "due to weather" is not the same as proof. LOT should identify the weather event, the affected airport, the time window and why the disruption could not reasonably be avoided.
Your case still starts with the practical timeline: scheduled arrival, actual final arrival, rerouting, cancellation status and whether all flights were on one booking. The compensation question is separate from care, hotel, transport and refund rights.
| LOT weather scenario | Compensation angle | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Severe weather at the departure or arrival airport | Can be a valid defence | Check whether the weather directly affected your flight and whether the airport was restricted. |
| Weather earlier in the aircraft rotation | Not automatic | LOT should show the causal chain and reasonable measures. |
| Normal rain, wind or seasonal conditions | Often worth checking | Ask what made the conditions unsafe or outside normal operations. |
| De-icing delay | Fact-specific | Check final arrival, airport queues, aircraft readiness and LOT planning. |
| Thunderstorm or snowstorm caused an ATC slot | Possible extraordinary circumstance | Ask for the slot restriction, timing and impact on your flight. |
| LOT says weather but other flights operated | Challenge the generic wording | Compare the same airport, time window and aircraft/routing constraints. |
| Weather caused a missed connection through Warsaw | Final-destination test | On one booking, check arrival at the final destination. |
LOT refused your claim because of weather?
Send the flight number, date, route, final arrival and LOT refusal wording. ClaimWinger can check whether the weather defence is specific enough.
What LOT should prove in a weather refusal
A valid refusal should do more than name the weather. It should explain the exact operational restriction: for example airport closure, runway conditions, unsafe wind, thunderstorm activity, ATC slot restrictions caused by weather or mandatory de-icing queues that directly affected the aircraft.
LOT should also explain reasonable measures. This can include rerouting options, spare aircraft feasibility, crew legality, slot availability and whether the aircraft rotation could reasonably be recovered. If the wording is vague, compare it with the LOT extraordinary circumstances compensation guide.
A weather label is not the same as a legal defence
Care rights and expenses still matter in bad weather
Even if severe weather removes fixed EU 261 compensation, passenger care rights can still apply. During long waits, LOT may need to provide meals and refreshments. If an overnight stay becomes necessary, hotel accommodation and transfers can also be relevant.
If LOT did not provide care and you paid necessary costs yourself, keep receipts and short notes explaining why the expense was unavoidable. A refusal of fixed compensation should not be treated as a refusal of every right.
| Right after LOT weather disruption | How it can still apply |
|---|---|
| Fixed EU 261 compensation | May be refused if LOT proves bad weather and reasonable measures. |
| Meals and refreshments | Can still apply during long waits even if compensation is refused. |
| Hotel and transfers | Can still apply when weather forces an overnight stay. |
| Refund or rerouting after cancellation | Separate from the weather compensation defence. |
| Expense reimbursement | Keep receipts if LOT did not provide required care. |
| Missed connection support | Check final arrival, rerouting and care on the full booking. |
Weather, Warsaw connections and final-arrival delay
LOT weather disruptions often affect passengers connecting through Warsaw. If your flights were on one booking, the delay analysis should usually focus on arrival at the final destination, not only the delayed segment.
Example: a weather delay on the first LOT segment makes you miss the Warsaw connection and reach the final city the next day. Compensation depends on final arrival and the strength of LOT's weather defence, while care, rerouting and hotel rights should still be checked. For connection-specific issues, use the LOT missed connection compensation guide.
Evidence to challenge a LOT weather refusal
The best challenge is factual. Preserve the exact refusal wording and build a simple timeline around the flight: route, aircraft movement, scheduled arrival, actual final arrival, rerouting and care offered. If other flights operated from the same airport, that can be useful context, though not always decisive.
| Evidence | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| LOT refusal wording | Shows whether LOT gave a specific weather event or only a generic label. |
| Flight number, date and route | Needed to compare weather at the relevant airports and time. |
| Scheduled and actual final arrival | The three-hour threshold depends on final arrival. |
| Airport status or weather screenshots | Useful when LOT relies on weather but other flights appear to operate. |
| Rerouting and care messages | Shows what LOT offered after delay, cancellation or missed connection. |
| Receipts for hotel, meals or transport | Needed for reimbursement when care was not provided. |
If you need to submit the case directly first, use the LOT claim form compensation guide and include the weather proof request in your message.
Common mistakes after LOT cites bad weather
Passengers often stop too early after seeing the word "weather". Severe weather can defeat fixed compensation, but the airline still has to connect the event to the flight. Care rights, reimbursement and limitation periods also deserve a separate check.
| Mistake | Better approach |
|---|---|
| Assuming any weather mention ends the claim | Ask how the specific weather event affected your flight. |
| Looking only at departure delay | EU 261 delay compensation usually depends on final arrival. |
| Ignoring care rights | Bad weather may remove fixed compensation but not meals, hotel or rerouting rights. |
| Not saving the refusal email | The exact wording is useful when challenging vague weather explanations. |
| Forgetting one-booking connections | A Warsaw connection should be assessed at the final destination. |
| Waiting too long after a refusal | Check the LOT compensation time limit before repeated informal emails. |
If LOT has already rejected the case, do not spend months sending the same informal message. Check the LOT compensation time limit guide before evidence gets stale.
Let ClaimWinger review the weather explanation
ClaimWinger can compare LOT's weather explanation with the route, final-arrival delay, airport conditions, rerouting, care provided, expenses and connection details. If the refusal is too generic or the disruption was not truly caused by extraordinary weather, we can help assess the next step.
Bad weather refusal from LOT?
Upload the LOT message, booking details and receipts. We will check compensation, care and reimbursement angles separately.
FAQ: LOT weather delay compensation
1. Can I get compensation if LOT says the delay was caused by weather?
Possibly. Severe weather can be an extraordinary circumstance, but LOT should identify the specific event, show its impact on your flight and explain reasonable measures.
2. Does bad weather always remove LOT compensation?
No. Weather must be relevant to the specific flight, airport and time. Generic wording should be checked, especially if other flights operated normally.
3. Can I still get meals or a hotel if bad weather caused the LOT delay?
Yes. Care rights such as meals, refreshments, hotel and transport can still apply even when fixed compensation is refused because of weather.
4. What if LOT says the aircraft was delayed by weather on a previous flight?
A knock-on weather delay is not automatic. LOT should explain the original event, the causal chain and why reasonable measures could not avoid your disruption.
5. Can weather cause a missed-connection claim with LOT?
Yes, but compensation depends on final-arrival delay and whether LOT proves a valid extraordinary-circumstances defence. Care and rerouting rights should still be checked.
6. What proof should I ask from LOT for a weather refusal?
Ask for the exact weather event, affected airport, time window, operational restriction, impact on your flight and reasonable measures taken.
7. Can ClaimWinger challenge a LOT weather refusal?
Yes. ClaimWinger can review the route, timing, final arrival, weather explanation, care expenses and LOT refusal wording to see whether the case is worth pursuing.
Legal sources: LOT passenger rights in case of flight irregularities, LOT claim form after departure, Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, Your Europe air passenger rights, and CJEU case C-549/07 Wallentin-Hermann.