Originally Posted by
GAXLN
Although no EU261 payment will be due if the cause is truly weather directly affecting the flight concerned, you are entitled to rerouting on any available flight under the regulations.
Interestingly, in this situation, despite the news articles about poor weather in Majorca, Palma airport carried on with arrivals right through all this, a steady stream just at the 1700-1800 time when the BA flight would have been due. I put this to a BA staffer. "No, bad weather". I pointed to the arrivals. "Ah, outside the capabilities no the E190 then". No, there's an Air France Hop E190 arriving OK right at that time.
So seems there is a commercial decision - "we might have a missed approach", or "we might have to divert" is made, especially looking at the impact on overtight scheduling of aircraft and crew. But that is a commercial/operational/cost convenience decision. It is not 'impossible because of the weather'.
Same went for issues at Heathrow the next day. BA cancelled far more of their transatlantic service than American or United did.