How to claim a delayed or canceled flight? This is one of the questions that you ask us the most, especially now that the holiday season is approaching and that, with it, fears begin about possible flight delays, cancellations or the much feared overbooking.
It would be preferable for the holidays to flow smoothly, but we know that cancellations and delays are the order of the day and we, the users, many times because we do not know our rights, end up not claiming a canceled or delayed flight and, therefore, Therefore, we lose the compensation to which we may be entitled after these situations that upset us so much.
And we tell you from experience. When we traveled to Greece, the flight was delayed for more than 3 hours and because we were unaware of our rights, we ended up arriving later at our destination and without any compensation.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, the first thing you should keep in mind is that as a user and customer of an airline, you have your rights, no matter how much they do not want to make them clear or tell you that you cannot claim a flight delay. cancellation or overbooking. You should not forget that according to the provisions of the European Regulation, any passenger who is affected by a delayed flight of more than 3 hours, a cancellation notified with less than 14 days or an overbooking may receive compensation of between 250 euros and 600 euros, regardless of the value of the flight ticket. For example, if you have bought a low cost ticket for 30 euros and you arrive more than 3 hours late at your destination, you are also entitled to compensation of between 250 and 600 euros, depending on the distance traveled by the flight. Yes,
We have more details about what you can claim or not, who can help you and above all, how to claim a delayed, canceled or overbooked flight.
What can I claim?
Prepare to be surprised by the number of situations for which you can and should claim: – In order to claim this compensation, the flight must have taken off in the EU, or the airline that operates the flight must be based in the EU . And yes, on most occasions, this will be the case, so you already have a very important part in your favor. – You have the right to compensation for the delay of your flight after 3 hours of delay. – You have the right to compensation for cancellation when you are notified less than 14 days in advance. – You have the right to compensation for overbooking if you are denied entry to the plane without your agreement. – You are entitled to between 250 and 600 euros of compensation, depending on the distance between the origin and the destination. – Keep in mind that after 2 hours of delay, On a flight of less than 1,500 km, the airline must provide you with free food and drinks. If the flight is between 1,500 and 3,500 km, the time frame is increased to 3 hours and if it is more than 3,500 km to 4 hours. – If the delay is more than 5 hours, as a passenger you can choose to cancel your trip. If this is your case, the airline must refund the full amount of the ticket or offer you alternative transportation. – In addition, it must provide you with accommodation or cover its expenses, in addition to transportation to/from the airport, if the delay lasts until the next day. If this is your case, never leave the airport without having a copy of all the documentation in case you are denied this service. – And last but not least, remember that you can claim even for flights from the last 5 years.
What can’t I claim?
As we mentioned previously, as passengers we have rights, but there are circumstances in which the airline is not responsible for the incident, so it is not obliged to pay any time compensation. We detail the cases for which you will not be able to claim compensation for delay, cancellation or overbooking: When the delay in arrival is less than 3 hours. – When the airline notifies you of the cancellation of the flight more than 14 days in advance. – If, for any reason, you did not check-in within the deadline imposed by the airline. – If more than 5 years have passed since the flight was delayed, canceled or overbooked. – If you booked the ticket with a special rate, not available for different reasons, for the general and regular public.“extraordinary circumstance”, which is not the responsibility of the company.
What are the exceptional circumstances for which I cannot claim compensation?
Although we are placing special emphasis on the fact that you have to claim and that as passengers we have our rights, there are some circumstances, beyond the influence of the airlines, for which even if there are delays or cancellations, they are not obliged to compensate you. Some examples of these “extraordinary circumstances”would be: – Strike of air traffic controllers. – Extreme weather conditions. – Political instability. – Security risks. – Disruption of air traffic due to a natural disaster. – Lightning strike during the previous flight. – Damage to the turbine caused by a collision with a bird. – Radar failure. Despite everything said above and although it should not be so, you have to look closely at the details, since the airlines will normally try to make this type of excuse to avoid compensating you. This is one of the many reasons why we recommend leaving claims for delays, cancellations or overbooking in the hands of professionals, so that they can prove that the airline was solely responsible for the incident.
How to claim a delayed, canceled or overbooked flight?
And now that you know your rights, you know what you can claim and the money that corresponds to you as compensation, surely you are wondering, how to claim a delayed, canceled or overbooked flight? For this process there are basically three options that are reduced to claiming on your own, with a lawyer or with the help of an expert. As we told you before, the safest and also the easiest option is to go to experts like Flightright, specialists in these processes, knowledgeable about all the claim processes and the excuses that airlines make for not compensating you. Think that they will fight for you in the face of any refusal from the airline and, if necessary, will take your case to court. In addition, another important thing is that they only charge their commission if they get your compensation. If they don’t get it, you don’t pay anything at all. Better impossible, don’t you think?
Claim via personal or through lawyers
The personal route is probably the first option you think of when you find your flight delayed or cancelled. Thinking that the claim is only a matter of delivering a couple of papers is the common belief and we assure you that there is nothing further from reality, in addition to the fact that the expectations of success in this case are very low. If, on the contrary, you choose to claim with the help of a lawyer, you must take into account their fees. If you do the math, surely it may end up not compensating you financially, in addition to the time you will have to invest in paperwork, meetings…etc.
Manage the claim of your delayed, canceled or overbooked flight with Flightright
As we have already commented on several occasions throughout the post, Flightright is undoubtedly the easiest way to claim your compensation for flight delays, cancellations or overbooking. They will take care of all the paperwork in addition to worrying about your rights and getting your compensation.
How much will it cost me to claim my compensation with Flightright?
After all that we have told you, surely you are thinking that if you leave the claim in the hands of experts, this will not be free. Indeed it is not, but the best thing is that Flightright does not charge you anything in advance. When they get your compensation, something that happens in 99% of cases, they will pay it to you immediately, subtracting their commission, which is 27% + VAT. And if you don’t get paid, they don’t either.
How do I make a claim with Flightright?
1. Enter the Flightright website. 2. Enter the number and date of your flight, and the Flightright calculator will tell you what the compensation corresponds to you. 3. If you confirm the claim, Flightright will start with all the steps for you to collect your compensation and, if necessary and always with your confirmation, take your case to court. 4. If your case falls within the 99% of Flightright success stories, they will pay you the amount of the compensation, withholding a commission of 27% + VAT. And the best thing is that in case you do not collect the compensation, you should not pay anything at all, not even for the management.
What documentation do I need to claim compensation with the airline?
As you will have seen in the previous point, the claim process with Flightright is very easy. Despite this, it is important to have some documentation to be able to provide it if necessary: – Ask the airline to confirm and provide a document indicating the reason for the delay, cancellation or overbooking. – Important: take photos, save boarding passes, proof of expenses, invoices, tickets or any other type of documentation that is important to demonstrate the incident with the flight. We know that after a delay or a cancellation it is what you least want, but remember that thanks to that, you can claim later.
