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.

Complete Guide to Your Rights with Flight Delays and Cancellations

For their own protection, you may find that airlines provide information regarding flight delays on their website, or in documentation which may explain that you not entitle to compensation. However, this isn't to say that flight delay compensation can’t be retrieved. In the past, we’ve seen hundreds of passengers receive flight delay compensation using Flight Claims Online, and the same may be true for you if you were travelling to/from a European airport.

As you’ve probably discovered yourself, there’s very little information available regarding this topic…but we’re on a mission to change this!

Flight Delay Compensation 

In conjunction with Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, we help passengers claim the compensation they deserve after experiencing a cancellation (or even a delay). Not only is this possible, the process is incredibly easy with Flight Claims Online because we know you’re already stressed and frustrated with the airline. Rather than frustrating you even further, we aim to guide you through the process effortlessly.

Will you receive compensation? This all depends on the cause of your delay, the length of the delay and flight distance between the two airports.

1. Cause of Delay

Firstly, we should note that compensation will only be achievable when the airline is directly accountable for the delay, cancellation or overbooking. Common reasons include;

•    Lack of communication between airline and airport

•    Technical or engineering issues

•    Staff strikes (airline ONLY)

•    Issues with cabin crew or pilots

Since the airline isn't directly responsible, you won’t be eligible for compensation for;

•    Air traffic controller clearance (or lack of!)

•    Extreme weather

•    Security alerts (threats of terrorism)

•    Political unrest

•    Severe technical faults (aside of routine checks)

•    Strikes from airport staff

2. Length of Delay

Secondly, how long was your flight and how long were you kept waiting? In terms of ‘delay time’ this is the difference between your expected and actual arrival time. The following table should give you some guidance;

Destination	Distance	Delay	Compensation (EUR)
All	Under 1,500km	3+ hours	250
Inside EU	Over 1,500km	3+ hours	400
Between EU & Non-EU	1,500-3,500km	3+ Hours	400
Between EU & Non-EU	Over 3,500km	4+ Hours	600

Depending on the airline, you may be given vouchers for refreshments, accommodation, transport (to accommodation), and expenses for communication (phone calls or WiFi). Of course, the accommodation vouchers will only be applicable where overnight delays or cancellations apply. Also, we should note that help should be provided for those with reduced mobility. For those who don’t use vouchers, you’ll be asked to keep receipts and claim a refund later.

Furthermore, any reimbursed expenses will be for purchases considered ‘reasonable’ (i.e. you can’t have a five course meal and expect the airline to pay for it!). Before heading into the third consideration, not everybody will be entitled to compensation. The following customers will be ineligible;

•    Those with a multi-mode ticket (planning to travel on ferry, rail, or another mode of transport).

•    Those who bought the ticket with a holiday package.

•    Those travelling with a free/special ticket (this includes staff discount tickets).

3. Departing and Destination Airports

Finally, what airport did you leave and where were you heading? To be protected under the regulations, you either need to be departing/arriving in Europe or the flight needs to be with a European airline. Unfortunately, the regulation doesn’t currently cover departures from the Channel Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, or the Isle of Man.

Contact Us Today

With this, you should have everything you need to know regarding flight delay compensation. Using the table above and our three considerations, feel free to send a message if you feel that you’re owed compensation. With a quick phone call, we can discuss the process in more detail and take the first step towards the money you deserve.

Thanks to our advanced policies, you won’t pay a penny if you don’t win and our fees are much lower than others in the industry at 25%. Furthermore, we offer a flight delay claim calculator so you can see how much you’re likely to receive.

Why not try it today? We’ve made the process simple so your days of frustration can come to an end!