You have the right to be looked after by the airline company if the Icelandic Volcano ash has grouned your flight.
All EU based airline companies are legally due to pay for hotels and accomodation for passengers stuck and unable to make the return leg of a journey back to their origin.
The airilne have open ended commitements set down in E,U, Law.
All Airline companies that operate from an EU country have a legal responsibility to Airlines must pay for hotels and food for delays for passengers stuck in Gran Canaria.
If you flight has been cancelled the Airlines are bound by Law to take care of you.
E.U. regulations 261 places a duty of care with the Airline company to look after you until it gets you home.
There may be some exceptions, if all hotels are full up and there really is nowhere to stay then obviously the Airline can not put you up in a hotel.
Any airline which says "sorry we can't help" can be litigated against.
ATOL FAILING
Airlines are not included within the ATOL Scheme
Know you rights if the Ailine cancel your flight home
Many people have been misled by the cancellation due to the volcanic dust clouds closing airline routes across Europe.
Everyone who has been stranded or stuck in anywhere in Spain is covered by the EU law which states the Airlien must take care of you until they get you home.
The Airline companies also have alegal obligation to
INFORM PASSENGERS OF THEIR RIGHTS
If for any reason the airline company decline to help and leave you sitting in the departure area you may need to look for accomodation yourself.
Save
all your receipts, make sure they are dated and keep them in a safe place. Whilst they may argue about the eventual price a little, they must pay the for the reasonable expenses you incur as a result of your flight home being cancelled.
Click here and this will open new Window where you can read E.U. Regulation
BAD NEWS FOR PACKAGE HOLIDAYS
Note:
When the flight is part of a 'package holiday', the passenger is only entitled to reimbursement of flight element of that package in the framework of this Regulation.
This applies regardless of whether you booked with an Atol Agency, it´s the law!
ATOL is not what it use to be, in todays modern low cost flight world, where EU law protects those who book online and purchase the lfight element seperately.
ATOL only applies in the U.K.