Buesingen, Germany, March 6, 2024 – Whether you have already taken your flight or plan to book one, flight cancellations or flight delays are always bad news. Although your priority must focus on having a backup plan, you could wonder whether you are entitled to compensation.
It turns out that this depends on your reason for travel disruption and the kind of airline you use. Some protections are basically universal, including being able to get a refund when the flight is cancelled.
However, certain things, such as ground transportation, hotels, and meals, solely depend on airlines’ commitment to their passengers or clients.
Extraordinary circumstances are unforeseeable situations or events that seem exceptional and are beyond the airline’s control. According to air passenger rights regulations, such as Regulation No 261/2004 in the EU, these situations free airlines from the responsibility of offering compensation for every flight cancellation or delay.
Extraordinary situations vary based on a particular jurisdiction. Examples of such situations include the following:
- Heavy fog
- Blizzards
- Strong winds
- Hurricanes
- Thunderstorms
- Bird strikes
- Security or political issues
- Severe storms
- Tsunamis
- Earthquakes
If your flight got delayed and you are travelling from the European Union, you have the rights to compensation for delayed flights, which may include free refreshments/meals, free fax service, two free phone calls, accommodation, and refund, among others. But any extra expenses that go beyond this will be your obligation, so it is important to confirm with your travel insurer to know what the insurance policy covers.
For some airlines, these rights may also apply to return flights. Mostly, in such cases, you must first go through the terms & conditions to know what you qualify for.
Types of Flight Cancellations and Delays
Airlines have minimum obligations to all their passengers when flights are cancelled or delayed, including refunds/rebooking, a particular type of support, and up to about 600 Euros in compensation.
Their responsibilities depend on whether the disruptions are outlined in the control of airlines or within their control. These circumstances are discussed more below:
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Within the Control of Airlines
Situations that are within the control of airlines often happen due to commercial decisions they make in their daily operations. These include staffing decisions and issues consolidating all their flights due to low demands.
Disruptions because of scheduled maintenance, including addressing issues that are found during maintenance, are usually considered within the airline’s control.
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Beyond the Control of Airlines
This category covered flight cancellations and delays, which airlines cannot control. These include bad weather, medical emergencies, security incidents, or orders from every applicable authority.
Flight delay compensation refers to reimbursement, which dept collection agency or airlines provide to passengers for flight delays that are beyond a particular threshold. There are several factors involved when it comes to calculating compensation. This ranges from flight duration to disruption reasons and flight distance. However, it is best to know what is often covered under every option available and under which situations you can ask for compensation.
Compensation for a Flight Cancellation and Delay
Airlines should compensate you for the inconvenience caused, be it flight delays of more than three hours or cancellations without prior notice. The same applies if disruptions are within their control and whether the airline told you about them two weeks or less early.
When your flight is delayed, you might be entitled to compensation ranging from 250 to 600 Euros, based on the distance of your flight and the duration of the delay.
- For delays of three or more hours on flights under 1500 kilometers, passengers are eligible for 250 Euros.
- Travelers on flights stretching between 1500 to 3500 kilometers, delayed by at least three hours, qualify for 400 Euros.
- Long-haul flights exceeding 3500 kilometers, if delayed by four hours or more, warrant a compensation of 600 Euros.
Note that for intra-EU flights over 3500 kilometers, if delayed, the compensation amount might be halved, offering up to 300 Euros.
How Compensation for Flight Delays is Often Calculated
Flight delays are based on arrival time. This is a crucial aspect since even when your flight takes off very late, the airline can still make up for that time in the air.
So, what is this arrival time for flights?
About a decade ago, the European Court of Justine defined it as the time at which aircraft reach their final destinations and their doors are opened.
At times, this can be a difference of about 15 minutes from the time you land. This is why it is crucial to be very accurate when claiming flight delays.
How to Maximize Flight Delays Compensation
Major flight disruptions are unavoidable, especially for every frequent flyer. Last year, only 77% of flights arrived on time, while 21% of flights were delayed, and 2% were completely cancelled. If yours gets delayed or cancelled this year, then you can be entitled to compensation, and here is how you can maximize it:
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Act Quickly and Immediately
If your flight gets delayed or cancelled, move quickly and promptly to make a comparison of all major flight delay compensation claim companies or get rebooked before seats fill up. While making a comparison is a good decision in some circumstances, booking another flight will be a great idea if reaching your final decision is all that matters to you.
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Remember to be Polity
Customer service agents are likely to be overwhelmed and stressed. So, showing them kindness and being polite when requesting support would be best.
Flight delays and cancellations happen for various reasons, most of which don’t fall under the airline’s responsibility. Besides, any legal proceedings are time-consuming and expensive for the parties involved. This is why it is important to approach the situation diligently and politely approach customer service agents, and you will get to your final destination feeling compensated appropriately.
Media Contact:Â Â
Name: Peter Smith
Organization: Claim Flights
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3318 4866Â Â
E-mail: peter@claimflights.com
Website: https://claimflights.com/
Address: Claim Flights GmbH, Postbox 35, D-78263, Buesingen, Germany
