When you think about Brexit, probably the last thing on your mind is air passenger rights, but here’s why you should care. If you’re planning to travel to the U.K. in the near future, your travel plans could be impacted by Brexit.

Canada holds the dubious honour of being the last global leader without air passenger rights. Up until now, Canadian travellers relied on Europe’s EC-261 law to protect them. But with the distinct possibility of the U.K. leaving the E.U., this is leaving thousands of Canadian passengers at financial risk as they get ready for their 2019 travel season to the U.K.

Nobody knows how Brexit will play out, but under a worst case scenario, it could see airlines cancel flights two weeks before Brexit if they don’t have the authorization to fly. When you think about how many people fly from Canada to the U.K., you begin to realize how big of an impact this could have.

With the possibility of The U.K. leaving the E.U. without first establishing a fair air passenger rights framework, it’s important for Canadians to take the necessary steps to protect their air passenger rights. Although it’s highly unlikely the U.K. will be completely cut off from the E.U., it remains a possibility that Canadians could find themselves without any protection when flying to and from the U.K.

What is EC-261 Law?

Currently under EC-261 law, as Canadians travelling to and from the U.K., you’d be entitled to financial compensation of up to $900.00 CD per seat when your flight is delayed by more than three hours, for a cancelled flight and in instances of denied boarding.

Just how many people fly between Canada and the U.K.? According to AirHelp data, from October 2017 to October 2018 there was a little over 8000 flights from Canada to the U.K., with an estimated number of 1.4 million passengers. Of that, approximately 7000 passengers were eligible for a little over $7 million CD in compensation as they were on one of the 45 direct flights that was affected by a flight delay of more than 3 hours or cancellation

How Can Canadian Passengers Better Protect Themselves?

There are a number of ways Canadians passengers can protect themselves when flying to and from the U.K.  on a date that straddles or falls after the Brexit date. AirHelp offers for the following advice for Canadian passengers.

Educate yourself on Brexit: First and foremost, it’s important to educate yourself about Brexit. This means being fully aware of your options in the event of a flight delay, cancellation or mishap. The easiest way to do that is by visiting AirHelp’s Know Your Rights page.

Connecting Flights: If you’re taking a direct flight from Canada to the U.K., you’ll find yourself at greater risk if you’re faced with a flight delay, cancellation or denied boarding. However, you can protect yourself by flying to any EU region first, followed by taking a connecting flight to the U.K. If you do that, you’ll still be protected under EC-261 law when you land in the U.K.

For example, when I travelled to the U.K. in September, I stopped over in Iceland on the way. If you did that, you’d be protected. Likewise, you might consider landing in Paris and taking the Chunnel from Paris to London to ensure you’re still protected.

Check Your Airline’s Cancellation and Refund Policy: If you still decide to fly directly from Canada to the U.K., it’s a good idea to check your airline’s cancellation and refund policy in the event Brexit ends up disrupting your flight.

Booking Your Flight with a European Carrier: If your Canadian to EU-flight (before flying over to the U.K.) was operated by a European carrier, Canadians should be covered.

Furthermore, if you book both flights under the same booking, you have the chance to have your entire distance taken into consideration when calculating how much compensation is owed to you.

To be on the safe side, you should book both flights under the same booking and with a EU-carrier.

Note: This is a sponsored post by AirHelp,  but was written and edited by me.

Sean Cooper is the bestselling author of the book, Burn Your Mortgage: The Simple, Powerful Path to Financial Freedom for Canadians, available now on Amazon and at Chapters, Indigo and major bookstores, and as an Audiobook on Amazon, Audible and iTunes.