What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?

Flights at two of Manchester Airport's terminals have been cancelled "until further notice" due to a power cut.

Passengers travelling through Terminals 1 and 2 have been told to stay away after the outage hit in the early hours of Sunday, affecting baggage and security systems.

So what are your rights if your journey is disrupted?

If your flight is covered by UK law, your airline must let you choose between either getting a refund or being booked on to an alternative flight, regardless of how far in advance the cancellation was made.

You can get your money back for any part of the ticket you have not used.

So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.

If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight.

If another airline is flying to your destination significantly sooner, or there are other suitable modes of transport available, then you have a right to be booked onto that alternative transport instead.

If you are stuck abroad or at the airport because of a flight cancellation, airlines must also provide you with other assistance until you are able to fly to your destination.

This includes:

If your airline is unable to arrange assistance, you have the right to organise this yourself and claim back the cost later.

In this case, the Civil Aviation Authority advises people to keep receipts and not spend more than necessary.

You are entitled to the same assistance as for a cancellation if your flight is delayed by more than two hours.

You may also be able to claim compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late, external.

The amount is based on how far you are flying.

If you are delayed by more than five hours and no longer want to travel, you can get a full refund.

Disruption caused by things like strikes by airport or air traffic control staff, bad weather or other "extraordinary circumstances" does not entitle you to extra compensation.

However, in other circumstances - when it is considered to be the airline's fault - you have a number of rights under UK law, external.

These apply as long as you are flying from a UK airport on any airline, arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline.

What you are entitled to depends on what caused the cancellation and how much notice you are given.

If your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks' notice, you may be able to claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight you are offered.

The amount you are entitled to also depends on how far you were travelling:

Airlines will not refund you for loss of earnings. They are only responsible for covering direct costs, such as hotel rooms, meals and alternative flights. They are not obliged to cover consequential losses.

Travel insurance policies will not usually cover loss of earnings either.

If you think you're going to be late back at work because of flight delays, you have a responsibility to contact your employer to let them know you won't be back as planned, legal experts say.

You should agree with your employer how to deal with the absence - for example, by using more annual leave or time banked in lieu. Taking unpaid leave could also be an option.

Employers have no legal obligation to pay employees who are absent in this situation, experts say, unless it is stated in their contract.

Have you been personally affected by the disruption to flights? Get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, external.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways: