Can i get compensated for a delayed flight

Usually, airlines organise the overnight stay and transfers themselves, and inform you of the planned arrangements.

Before you decide to book something yourself, it is always best to check directly with the airline. Also make sure that you get a written confirmation of all communication if the airline offers to reimburse for accommodation you found yourself. These circumstances include:. There are exceptions to the rule — for example if it is shown that the airline could have avoided the problem by taking reasonable measures, it will be liable for the delay of the aircraft.

An instance of this would be if the airline cited bad weather conditions, and what actually happened was they failed to ensure that there were sufficient supplies of de-icer before the onset of winter. In this case they may be deemed responsible for the delay — especially if flights operated by other airlines were able to depart on time.

No problem. You can enter your flights in advance in our compensation calculator and we will inform you if you are entitled to compensation. Are you currently affected by a flight delay and strike or bad weather conditions are not the cause?

Find your delayed flight in our table, check your entitlement for compensation in our claimcheck and let Flightright enforce your claim for you.

With more than 10 years of experience, Flightright helps you enforce your right to compensation. Check your claim for free. Flight Delay Compensation. What are my rights when a flight is delayed? What should I do if my flight is delayed? When do I receive flight delay compensation?

Compensation for flight delay: You are entitled to How do I apply for compensation if my flight is delayed? Which passenger rights do I have at the airport when my flight is delayed? Which brings us to your second option If you don't feel like claiming on your own, you can ask a lawyer to do it for you.

This is however not the option that we recommend, since a lawyer will ask you to pay up their fees upfront, no matter whether your case is successful or not. Resorting to the services of a lawyer is also time-consuming, since you need to meet, explain them the circumstances of the disruption, do the paperwork, maybe spend some more time on the phone, etc. Not to mention that your lawyer might not specialize in air passenger rights for delayed flights and compensation claims under EC You may be entitled to compensation and not secure it in the end.

Some companies like Service by ClaimCompass specialize in helping air passengers get their due compensation from the airline. The best part? And if you'd rather keep all the money to yourself, consider our Frequent Flyer plan. The characteristics of these flights are described in a section below.

Note that the airline has the obligation to display relevant information regarding your passenger rights at the check-in counter. When take-off is delayed by at least two hours, the airline is compelled to take care of you.

Your "right to care" is an obligation for the airline to provide:. Now, it's possible that the airline staff doesn't, in fact, take care of you. If you ask for their assistance but the staff refuses to cooperate, feel free to make arrangements yourself: buy a meal and refreshment, and if necessary, a hotel. Just don't forget to keep the receipts : you can ask the airline to refund you afterwards. Do keep in mind, however, that the airline will only refund "reasonable expenses": don't expect them to pay for your time at the airport spa or the bill at an expensive restaurant!

When your plane is late at take-off by more than 3 hours, you are also entitled to all of the above. In addition, and more interestingly, if your plane arrives at your final destination 3 hours or more after the initially scheduled arrival time, you can claim an airline delay compensation.

The amount will vary based on:. Here is, in principle, how much you're entitled to for your flight delay:. However, as mentioned above, the length of the delay also impacts the airline compensation amount, for one specific case. Flights within the EU are also called "intra-community" flights. Read more on how much you might be entitled to for your delayed flight. If you decide to claim on your own, make sure to ask for the right amount, or the airline will know that you don't have a full understanding of EC You may be entitled to compensation, don't let the airline deny your rights!

When your plane is delayed by 5 hours or more, you don't have to take it. No matter whether the airline is responsible for the delay or not, you can get a flight delay refund or an alternate flight. The airline must give you the choice between waiting for your plane to depart or not taking it and get:. We talk about a diverted flight when the plane doesn't land where it was supposed to, as a precaution taken by either the pilot or the air traffic controllers ATC.

It's different from an emergency landing, which occurs when the security of the cabin is at risk. In most cases, when your flight is diverted, you are not entiled to compensation; that's because the reason for the diversion is usually an "extraordinary" event read more on extraordinary circumstances below : adverse weather conditions, problem with the aircraft, medical emergency, etc.

But should your flight be diverted for non-extraordinary circumstances, such as a technical problem, then you are indeed entitled to compensation. If you miss your connecting flight because your initial flight was diverted because of non-extraordinary circumstances, you are also entitled to compensation for missed connection.

Read more about your right to compensation when your plane is diverted. EC describes in which cases you can claim compensation for a delayed flight. To put it simply, whenever the airline can be held accountable for the delay and you arrive at your final destination at least 3 hours after the scheduled time, you are eligible for a compensation.

However, you also have to take into account whether the journey involves an EU airport or not. This means that, for instance, you could get a delayed flight compensation from American Airlines if your flight from the European Union was delayed.

If the flight LHR - JFK was delayed, causing you to miss your connection to SFO, you are entitled to compensation only if both flights had the same booking number if you didn't buy two separate tickets.

Note that the amount of compensation is calculated based on the total distance of your flight between your point of departure and the final destination.

However, there are a few tricky cases. When your point of connection is out of the EU, the Regulation is unclear: some courts consider that the flight is eligible to compensation, while others rule that this is out the EC 's jurisdiction.

As detailed above, the airline's nationality might determine whether you're entitled to compensation or not. Codeshares are flights operated by an airline in the name of another. Contact the airline — this needs to be the airline operating the flight, even if you booked it through another airline.

Be ready to give all your flight details and booking reference numbers. Write your claim — say what went wrong and what you want the airline to give you. The Civil Aviation Authority has information about how to write a good claim and you can download a template letter from the Which?

Include copies not originals of your tickets and any receipts. Keep records — keep copies of your claim and any response from the airline. Take notes if you speak to anyone from the airline - this could be useful if you decide to take your claim further. First, check if the airline is a member of an approved alternative dispute resolution ADR body. If they are, complain to the ADR body. Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on if you need more help - a trained adviser can give you advice over the phone.

You can also use an online form. As a charity, we rely on your support to help millions of people solve their problems each year. Please donate if you can to help us continue our work. Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer. Top links Housing benefit.

Top links Template letter to raise a grievance at work. Flight Delays My flight is delayed - am I entitled to money or other compensation from the airline? There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed.

Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed passengers. If your flight is experiencing a long delay, ask airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room. While some airlines offer these amenities to passengers, others do not provide any amenities to stranded passengers. How do I find out how long my flight will be delayed? Airlines are required to provide passengers with information about a change in the status of the flight if the flight is scheduled to depart within 7 days.

Airlines are required to give these status updates 30 minutes or sooner after the airline becomes aware of a status change. The flight status information must, at a minimum, be provided on the airline's website and via the airline's telephone reservation system. Also, when a flight is delayed for 30 minutes or more, the airline must update all flight status displays and other sources of flight information at U.