How to claim compensation yourself for delayed or cancelled flight in EU? This article will tell you everything about:

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What are your rights & what are the rules in European Union for delayed and cancelled flights
How to prepare a claim letter to the airline to get a refund based on EU EC 261/2004 regulation
How to claim additional expenses such as food, taxi and hotels, even in case of extraordinary circumstances due to weather
How to claim with low cost airlines such as Easyjet, Ryanair & Wizzair and charters as TUI, Thomas Cook for plane delay & itinerary change
What to write back when airlines decline your first claim – European Court of Justice rulings to cite for technical reasons, bird collisions, lighting strikes, employee strikes, third party damages & how to claim in case of connecting flights

Not sure if your flight qualifies for compensation?

To properly value these passengers, applying the cash equivalent of the base fare and the upgrade is a reasonable way to value the passenger. Non-loyalty-based upgrades: When the coach cabin is oversold, the segment’s passengers may be upgraded, instead of the airline having to deal with bumped passengers and vouchers. Some airlines offer vouchers for future travel, but the DOT requires that the airline must offer monetary compensation if the passenger does not want a voucher. That worked out. Only about one in 10 bumped passengers will challenge their involuntary denied-boarding compensation, because they aren't aware that they could be entitled to much more than airline funny money.

Who can claim flight compensation

I have seen my fair share of delays and various mishaps, so in this article I am sharing my experience on claiming compensations. This article will mostly be interesting and valid for those flying on EU airlines (such as Lufthansa, Finnair, KLM) or flights from EU by non-EU carrier (for example such as Turkish Airlines flight from Riga to Istanbul). These examples won’t by valid for non-EU carriers flying to EU, such as a flight by United from Miami to London. However, many countries outside of EU also have their own regulations regarding passenger compensations and I also mention my experience in other countries. Some airlines such as Ukraine International Airlines, have self imposed the regulation even for flights they are legally not bound to pay it, so definitely submit a claim with them, if your flight was delayed!

Even if you have never done a claim with an airline before, you can do it and get the money you deserve!

How easy it is to get compensation from an airline?

How long does it take to get compensation from an airline? My experience shows that with some airlines it is very easy, with others, it will take a long time and several letters. Below is the list with my experience, and it is subject to change, as when airlines are trying to save money, they will try refuse claims, as most people don’t write the second time. Don’t be that person who takes the first no! Write again, and this article will equip you with all the tools you need. If you see that you can’t get the claim to go through, you can use third parties, such as Skycop, who can process the claim for you! You don’t need to pay upfront, they will take part of the win.

SAS, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, Emirates, Finnair, Ryanair will pay out compensation relatively easier, unless it is a strike (harder but not impossible)
airBaltic – usually first answer is negative, but after the second letter will agree to pay
Wizzair – this one takes months and months, and I know many professional flyers who refuse to claim themselves but go for a third party. Wizzair claims on their website that they don’t work with third parties, but it is a lie, they do and they can’t refuse to work with your legal representative.
Smartlynx & other charters – usually these are the hardest one to get, unless you submit a claim to consumer protection agency

EC Regulation 261/2004 explained

First thing to keep in mind if you are a traveler, is the EC regulation 261/2004. There is a very nice short description of it on Wikipedia here, but in short it is a document that can help you claim as much as 600 eur in cash for international and domestic flights in the European Union. Some of the provisions of regulation can come in handy while travelling, so it worth to keep a copy on your phone. Although airlines are obliged to inform the passengers of their rights, in practice I have never seen this happen. Also, a good insurance will be useful too, especially the “unexpected changes” provision.

Brazil: ANAC 400 Resolution

Good news! Now you can also claim compensation for up to $1300 for delayed and cancelled flights originating in Brazil, as well as for denied boarding! Brazil is the latest country that has approved similar regulation as in EU, here, you are entitled to care and rebooking, as well as moral compensation for delays longer than 4 h!

What to do on Location

If you arrive to the airport and find out that your flight has been cancelled or is significantly delayed and you might miss the connecting flights, you should take the following steps:

ask airport employees where you should go. Usually you have to find a designated information desk and start waiting in the line (and waiting can take even up to several hours). I have heard numerous stories of people waiting in the line for 8 and even 10 hours. Sometimes there is no such desk and you have to go to land-side area of the airport to the check-in counter, at times changes are done at the gate. Might happen that you will need to pick up your checked luggage on the way as well.
while you are walking or waiting in the line, check other available flights (and bus and train, if applicable) to your final destination or call a friend who is by the computer and can check for you. It’s always useful to know what flights are available and not just with the airline that caused you all this trouble. You can ask to be put on the next flight out, irrespective of the carrier. But, before begging for a flight, it is useful to check if there are seats available. The most common issue with requesting a flight operated by another airline is that the airline at fault will try to keep you on their own service or at least within the same airline alliance, as this doesn’t cost them additional money. Sometimes the flights offered might be only on the next day! But, if you are prepared, know your flights, you can ask for another flight and sometimes it will be granted. Last resort is asking for the attendants supervisor, if nothing else works.
when you have found the flights that would work for you but are still waiting in the line, it’s time to call the airline. Don’t just settle for the phone number of your own country, as it might not work or be busy all the time. For example, in case of strike with Lufthansa I have called many countries numbers and finally reached the Irish one, where the operator agreed to change my connecting flight from Barcelona to Riga, to a direct one with another airline. Airline employees can also change flights you have purchased through a third party, such as Expedia, if the departure time is very near. If you call the call center and are not satisfied with the answer, just hang up and try call center of another country or even same one, as a different person might pick up. If it’s finally your turn at the desk in the airport and you still have time til your new flight, ask for the employee to provide you with a written confirmation of the delay or cancellation and the reasons. This sometimes is requested by insurance companies, but they also might accept a print-screen from Flightradar.

When You are Home: How do I claim compensation for delays or cancellations?

When you have arrived home, but preferably not later than 21 days after the flight (although all of Europe refers to 2 years time after incident, a recent Latvian court case requested complaint to be submitted within 21 days, so better safe than sorry), fill in the complaint. There might be a s

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