Can you claim for a delayed flight?

Whether you’re taking a business trip or you’re at the beginning or end of a holiday, sitting in the airport waiting for a delayed flight is never fun. If you have to pay out for food, phone calls or accommodation due to your delayed or cancelled flight, you might find the costs start mounting quickly. Spending your cash in this manner is not an ideal situation if you have saved up for the trip. Fortunately in some cases you can qualify for flight delay compensation.

Denied Boarding Regulations

Under the EU’s Denied Boarding Regulations ruling, you are protected. The airline is obligated to offer you assistance for delays that are expected to last over a certain amount of time, so you will get two free phone calls, free meals and drinks, and accommodation for overnight delays. This covers you for any outlay caused by the delay or cancellation. However, this only applies to EU flights – so flights to or from an EU country or on an EU airline.

When might you get compensation?

Compensation is given for flights where the delay is the fault of the airline. Where the delay is due to extraordinary circumstances you won’t be able to make a claim, but you will still be entitled to meals, accommodation and phone calls as detailed above.

Extraordinary circumstances include delays caused by:

• adverse weather conditions,
• political unrest
• security threats making it unsafe to fly
• strikes

Circumstances where you are eligible for compensation include:

• A crew member or the pilot is late
• Documentation for the flight is not submitted on time by the airline
• Technical problems occur that should have been resolved during routine maintenance
• Under booking leads to the flight’s cancellation

What level of compensation can I achieve?

The amount of compensation you are entitled to depends upon the flight length and the delay incurred. It is important to note that the delay is based on your arrival time rather than the time you set off.

If you feel you are owed compensation for any flight over the last six years, contact Best Flight Delay Compensation for more information.