The EU Law states that passengers whose flights arrive at their intended destination over 3 hours later than planned can claim up to €600 (£539*) per person in flight delay compensation.
EU Regulation 261 isn’t designed to reimburse passengers for their tickets and has nothing to do with how much they paid for their flights. It is in place to ensure that the airlines honour their responsibility to their customers and pay them compensation for the inconvenience caused by their delayed flight.
The exact amount of compensation you are entitled to is dependent upon how severely you have been inconvenienced and is therefore based on the length of your journey, whether it was short, medium or long haul, and the length of the delay.
At Sarah Waddington Solicitors, our team have years of knowledge and experience working on compensation claims just like yours. If you are uncertain if you qualify or are unsure of your next steps, we can help analyse your claim, assess your case and work with you to get you the compensation you deserve!
Are You Eligible for Flight Delay Compensation?
In line with the EU Regulation 261/2004, to be entitled to flight delay money back, passengers rights are protected for;
- All flights within the UK and the EU
- All Flights departing from the UK and the EU
- Flights arriving at the UK and EU from outside the UK and EU, but are operated by a UK or EU airline
- Flights that arrive at their end destination with a delay of three hours or more
- Flights that took place in the past 6 years
If the flight was been delayed for more than 5 hours and you no longer wished to travel, then you would have been entitled to a refund. Please note that if you did not travel, then you won’t be eligible for compensation.
A lot of the time airlines will claim that a flight has been delayed due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’ which are out of their control and therefore they do not have to pay compensation. This includes issues such as adverse weather conditions, acts of terrorism and air traffic control strikes.
How Much Is Flight Delay Compensation?
Your delay duration and journey length are used to determine the eligibility of your claim as well as the amount of money you could be entitled to. It is important to note that the delay time is calculated by your flight arrival time, not the departure time. So, for example if your flight was due to take off at 12pm but didn’t depart until 3:15pm and landed at its destination with a delay of 2 hours and 45 minutes after the pilots were about to make up some of the lost time, you are not entitled to compensation.
| Delay | Distance | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Hours | Up to 1500 km | €250 |
| 3 Hours+ | 1500km to 3500km | €400 |
| 3-4 Hours | Over 3500 km | €300 |
| 4 Hours+ | Over 3500 km | €600 |
This table outlines the exact requirements in order to process a flight delay claim. Different airlines vary in regard to the regulations they follow when flight delays are involved and therefore, this will need to be considered when dealing with your claim.
How Our Solicitors Deal with Flight Delay Claims
At Sarah Waddington Solicitors, we deal with claims on a no win, no fee basis. This means that in the event that the case is unsuccessful, you do not have to pay any fees for our services. We work on this basis with all of our clients, offering honesty and transparency in all areas of the claims process. Even if clients approach us with a compensation query, we are more than happy to offer guidance and support where needed.
In order to help process your claim it is always beneficial to have as much information and evidence as possible and some of things our solicitors might require from clients include:
- Flight Number
- Date of Flight
- Arrival and Departure Airport
- Scheduled Flight Time
- Duration of Delayed Flight
- Boarding Pass and Valid Passport ID
In certain circumstances, it is often found that airlines refuse to offer compensation for the inconvenience caused. If this occurs, the experts here at Sarah Waddington Solicitors will professionally represent your case and pursue your claim, all the way to court if necessary.
Can I claim compensation for my delayed flight?
In accordance with the EU regulations 261, passengers who have had their flights delayed for a prolonged period time, cancelled or were denied boarding could be entitled to compensation.
Some of the eligibility criteria includes;
- The delay of your flight must have caused you to arrive at your destination more than 3 hours later than scheduled.
- The flight took place in the last 6 years.
- Your flight departed from an EU airport, operated by any airline.
- Or you arrived at an EU airport operated by an EU airline.
- The airline was responsible for the delay.
However, in the cases where the flight was delayed due to ‘extraordinary circumstances’ that were not the airlines fault, affected passengers will not be entitled to compensation. This can include things such as extreme weather, terrorism and air traffic control strikes.
What documentation do I need to make a claim?
The more information, supporting documents and proof you have of the flight and the delay, the easier it is to process and to put forward a strong case for a claim to the airline. Some of the things that could prove helpful are;
- Boarding passes
- E-Tickets
- Booking confirmations
- Receipt for any expenses incurred whilst you were delayed at the airport
Bear in mind that you shouldn’t actually need your ticket in order to make a claim as the airlines keep detailed records of all flights and passengers who flew on them, however it can prove extremely helpful and speed up the flight delay claims process.
Can you still help if I’ve already had my claim rejected by the Airline?
If you have already attempted to make a claim for flight delay compensation with the airline but that claim has been rejected, then this does not necessarily mean that’s the end of it. It is common for airlines to reject valid claims simply because they are not put to them in the correct way but that is something that we are experts at.
Our skilled legal team will go over your original claim, fact check, verify and ensure that any helpful additional information is added that could strengthen your case. We will then resubmit the claim and follow up any communication with them on your behalf and negotiate to get you the compensation you are owed.
Contact Us Today
Contact Sarah Waddington Solicitors today by calling us direct on 01924 601111 or emailing us on info@sarahwaddingtonsolicitors.co.uk. Alternatively Send us a message and one of our professional team will be in touch with you shortly.
Remember, there is no obligation to instruct us so contact us now for your free consultation.
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