Flight delay compensation: eligibility and claim steps

Four facts decide most delay claims

Before looking at an amount, establish the route, operating airline, arrival delay at the final destination and the airline’s stated cause. Departure delay alone can be misleading, especially when a flight makes up time or a connection turns a modest delay into a much later final arrival.

• Save the booking confirmation and every boarding pass.
• Record the time the aircraft reached the final destination and the doors opened.
• Ask the airline to state the cause in writing.
• Confirm whether connecting flights were on one booking or separate tickets.

Compensation, care and refunds are different

A delay may create more than one possible remedy. Fixed compensation addresses inconvenience under qualifying regimes. Care covers things such as reasonable food, communication or accommodation during a qualifying wait. A refund can become available when the delay is long enough and the passenger decides not to travel. One remedy should not be used as shorthand for all three.

What to do while you are still at the airport

Ask the airline what care it will provide before buying things yourself. If the airline cannot provide required care, keep itemised receipts and keep the spending reasonable. Photograph the departure board and preserve app notifications or emails that show the timeline.

• Do not rely only on a verbal explanation at the gate.
• Do not discard a boarding pass after a rebooking.
• Do not accept a voucher as a replacement for a cash right until you understand the choice.

How to make the claim

Write to the operating airline using its official claim or customer-relations channel. State the flight, date, route, final arrival delay, cause given by the airline and the exact remedy requested. Attach only relevant evidence and keep a dated copy. If the answer is missing or unsatisfactory, use the escalation route for the law that actually governs the flight.