Complete guide to apply for a flight cancellation compensation

Missing your flight for whatever reason is never a pleasant experience. Imagine after making all the necessary arrangements to make sure you get to the airport on time, and suddenly you cannot leave because of a delayed or overbooked flight. It is inconveniencing at the very least.

It doesn’t have to be all depressing though. Flight cancellation compensation can make the best of a bad situation.

Even though most airlines don’t want you to know about it, EU Regulation 261/2004 (EC 261) allows you to claim compensations of up to 600€ when your flight is delayed under various circumstances. Flightright is one of the companies in the UK that is best placed to help you secure your compensation seamlessly in case of a flight cancellation or delay. They have helped over 5,200,000 clients receive refunds at a 99% success rate in court.

Rules for flight delay and cancellation compensation

These are some of the rules that will determine if you qualify for flight cancellation or delay compensation. You need to check all the provisions before lodging a compensation claim or suit.

The laws allow airlines not to compensate you if the delay or cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances like crew strikes, bad weather, bird strike, and political insecurity.

If you are looking to get compensation for cancelled flight, one of the first things to do is contact the airline company. The amount you get compensated for depends on the flight you booked and the delay period. You can get up to 250 € when the flight delayed covers less than 1500km and is delayed for not less than 3 hours. Flights covering more than 3,500 km delayed for over 4 hours can fetch up to 600 €. 

The delayed flight should be departing an EU airport or arriving at an EU airport and operated by an EU airline.

For a cancelled flight, the airline can either give you a full refund of your flight or provide an alternative flight to your destination. The airline must respect your right to care in case of the cancellation delays you for more than 2 hours. They need to provide a means of communication, meals and refreshments, and a hotel.

The process of making a claim

There are 3 options to go about making a compensation claim for a cancelled or delayed flight. These are;

Claiming by yourself

Lodging a complaint on your own for compensation claim requires you to have a good understanding of the passenger rights and clout for patience. Even though most people who claim the compensations by themselves end up abandoning the quests or miss the payments, others have gone ahead and received payments.

This is how to go about claiming for compensations on your own:

1. Contact the airline

Most airlines provide for a compensation claim procedure. Find an appropriate way to contact the airline that you had booked. Most provide an email in the contact or support page of their websites. Some also provide you with an online compensation claim form to fill.

Once you have obtained how to contact the airline, proceed to describe the issue, how much you are claiming for, and the corresponding EU regulation.

There is a chance you might receive positive feedback. You can go ahead and receive your claims at this point. Though, that is not the case with most airlines.

2. Escalate to an adjudicator or a National Enforcement Body

Your claim does not have to end with the airline’s rejection. Most airlines will want to avoid payments by manipulating the facts of events and your knowledge of passenger rights. But if you believe you have a valid case you can move to an adjudicator or a regulating body.

Research on the most appropriate adjudicator to contact based on the nationality and itinerary of the flight. If you fail to get one, you can also look for an appropriate National Enforcement Body.

These bodies will help you reach a binding agreement. If you fail at that, there is a last resort.

3. Take the matter to small courts

Given that all the other options have not worked out, you might want to consider the validity of your claim. If you are convinced that you have a strong case then you can move to a court of law. The court proceeding requires legal advice.

Using a lawyer

You can opt to contact a lawyer to help present your case to a court of law. You must note though that getting a lawyer comes with many cons. You have to pay the legal fees whether the claim is successful or not. It also involves a lot of work like filing paperwork, commuting and explaining what transpired over and over to the lawyer.

Only a few lawyers major on flight cancellation and delays, making it hard to find a decent one in this field.

Using Flightright

How about eliminating all the risks and challenges that come with either seeking the claims yourself or using a lawyer, by getting a reputable claims management company like Flightright?

Flightright is an experienced compensation claim company that will represent your claims to the relevant airline. It saves you the cost and bustle of getting a lawyer. The company has been operational for a long time collecting insights on what works best for successful claims.

The team takes care of everything in a case. They check into the case details and approach the airline, escalate the issue to an adjudicator, and represent you in court if there’s need. Besides, they allow you to pay only in case of success.

Flight cancellation FAQs

Q. How long after the cancellation can I claim compensation?

A. The compensation regulations provide a statute of limitations which allows countries to set a particular duration after which you cannot file for compensation. In the UK it is 6 years, Germany and Finland 3 years, Spain and France 5 years, among others.

Q. Should I accept vouchers as compensation for flight delays?

A. While regulations provide for compensations in cash, it is up to you to decline or accept a voucher. Anyway, ensure the amount of the voucher is equal to the cash amount before you accept.

Q. How do I get compensated when traveling as a group?

A. Every single person is entitled to compensation; everyone in the group will receive payments even if you are traveling on a single ticket.

Wrapping up on flight cancellation compensation

Flight cancellation or delays can be demoralizing. It even gets worse trying to chase the compensation, which in most cases you will miss. Let Flightright ease your burden by handling your case the best way for assured success. Reach out to us today for your guaranteed claim us.