The European law states that it is your right to seek compensation in case there are any flight delays or cancellations. Since delayed flights cause a lot of problems and distress for the passengers, the authorities have taken them upon themselves to give these people the right to demand compensation for a variety of different cases.

Your rights as a passenger

Before we get on to how you can claim compensation, you should know what rights you have as a passenger. Essentially, if there is any issue, delay, or cancellation from the airline’s side, then you’re not liable for anything. Rather, the airline is liable to compensate you for the distress. Arrangements should be made in case of any delay or cancellation. These include hotel accommodation and meal or refreshment offers.

The way compensation works for delayed flights

The rules of the EU mention that compensation must be provided to passengers if their flights are heavily delayed or cancelled. But this doesn’t mean that a 10 to 15 minutes delay will give you the right to demand compensation.

How compensation works for delayed flight revolves around how much time you have been delayed by. The minimum time criterion is for three hours. If your flight is delayed by 3 hours at least, then only can you put forward your request for compensation. Depending on how long and the distance between the destination spot, your compensation ranges from €250 to €600.

• Distance less than 1500km and delay time at least 3 hours gives you a right to €250
• Distance between 1500km and 3000km with a delay time of 3 hours gives you a right to €400
• Distance more than 1500km within the EU with a delay time of 3 hours gives you a right to €400
• Distance more than 3500km between EU and non-EU destination with a delay time of 3-4 hours gives you a right to €300
• Distance of at least 3500km between EU and non-EU destination with a delay time of at least 4 hours gives you a right to €600.

Claiming compensation for delays

You can easily claim the compensation by providing the airline with the details of your issue. If your demand fits within the rule of the EU, then the airline will deem it important to provide you with the right compensation.

You are required to tell the airline the name of the passengers, your flight number, and the reason why there was a delay. However, don’t always believe that you will receive that compensation as many airlines tend to reject the claim.

Claims for compensation are widely rejected, mostly because they don’t cut for being an extraordinary situation. Airlines tend to deny or reject any claims put forwards in many situations, deeming them as not having enough grounds. But if you feel like your claim is valid, then you can take the specific airline to the claims court and demand your flight delay compensation.

If you wish to know more details or need assistance when it comes to your flight delay compensation, then get a hold of the relevant service to help you figure out whether you can demand compensation or not.