Your Rights with Delayed Flights

Did you arrive at your destination more than three hours after the expected arrival time? If so, you could be protected under Regulation 261/2004. What does this mean? Among other things, it means you could be entitled to compensation.

Flight Delay Compensation - How Does it Work?

To receive compensation for your flight, it needs to fall within EU Regulation 261/2004 and this has three main considerations;

Cause of Delay - Firstly, the cause of the delay has to be something that could have been prevented by the airline (or something for which the airline has responsibility). While airport staff strikes, serious weather, and terrorist threats aren't covered, airline staff strikes and pilot/cabin crew issues are covered.

Flight Distance - This consideration can be split into two categories; inside the EU and outside the EU. For flights inside the EU, EUR 250 compensation can be claimed for flights up to 1,500km in length while EUR 400 could be available for flights more than 1,500km long.

For flights departing or arriving at a non-EU airport (e.g. London to New York), EUR 250 is still available for anything up to 1,500km. However, EUR 400 is now for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km and EUR 600 compensation is for any flights longer than 3,500km.

If your flight is longer than 3,500km, and the delay is between three and four hours, 50% of the compensation amount can be claimed.

Flight Departure/Destination - Under Regulation 216/2004, compensation can only be claimed if the flight left an EU country, arrived in an EU country, or was through an EU airline. Assuming the delay was at least three hours, you’ll be eligible.

How to Claim Flight Delay Compensation

We’ve covered all the permutations and whether your flight qualifies, but how do you actually get started? At EUclaim, we can offer free advice and we can even research the eligibility of your claim after you provide flight information. We’re able to access data for not only millions of flights, but also the associated news and weather information for the specific day and time. Using this information, we create a list of delayed flights; if you see yours, compensation could be possible.

Operating on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, we’ll deal with every step of the claims process so you can forget all about the stress of your experience. For all flights delayed by two hours, the airline is actually obliged to provide all passengers with food, drink, and communication expenses too. For extensive delays, they should offer assistance for anybody with mobility issues and for accommodation.

Flight Delay Compensation: An Introduction

There’s no worse way to start your holiday or business trip than with a delayed flight. Just when you start to get into ‘relaxation’ mode, an announcement comes over the tannoy system to ruin this mood. While short delays are manageable, what happens if it exceeds three hours? Well, in this case, Regulation 261/2004 suggests you could receive up to EUR 600 in compensation.

Flight Delay Compensation: An Introduction

In terms of qualifying, the flight must have departed from an EU country, landed in an EU country, or been with a European airline. As long as the delay was more than three hours, you’ll be eligible for compensation…as long as the airline is responsible for the delay.

Sometimes, airlines can get just as frustrated as you when the airport staff are striking, when weather prevents them from flying, or when they’re not in control of the problem. Therefore, you won’t be eligible for compensation when the airline isn't responsible for the delay. However, you WILL be eligible when the airline is the direct cause; for example, airline staff strikes, poor communication from airline to airport, and pilot or cabin crew problems.

Under Regulation 261/2004, the amount of compensation you can receive is dependent on the details of the flight itself. If you’re flying from an EU country to another EU country, either EUR 250 or EUR 400 will be available depending on whether you flew under 1,500km or over 1,500km respectively. If your destination airport was outside the EU, the following applies;

•    Up to 1,500km - EUR 250

•    Between 1,500km and 3,500km - EUR 400

•    More than 1,500km - EUR 600

50% of the compensation amount will be available when your flight exceeds 3,500km and the delay is between three and four hours; the overall delay is based on your arrival time at the destination.

Getting Help

Did you know that there are some fantastic services out there who offer free advice and a ‘no win, no fee’ policy on all cases? This is true, and we pride ourselves on our customer service within the industry. All you need to do is provide the flight information and we’ll use our database of flight data, weather reports, and even news reports to assess the cause of the delay. If the airline was responsible, and the flight was delayed by more than three hours, we’ll get to work and aim for the compensation you deserve.

As well as help with compensation, we can also provide advice as to future airline practices. For example, for delays over two hours, all airlines have a responsibility to pay for food, drink, and communication expenses for passengers. For even longer delays and cancellations, they should even provide accommodation and transport to the accommodation.