EU Flight Compensation, How Can You Tell if You Qualify For It?
The denied boarding regulation is a law that was enacted in the EU to protect passengers from delays. It also covers several other inconveniences that airlines could have prevented. According to the regulation, you are entitled for flight EU flight compensation if you are flying from the EU in any airline. You are also entitled for EU flight compensation if you are flying to the EU with any airline that is registered in the EU, Norway, Switzerland or Iceland.
How can you tell if you are entitled to EU flight compensation?
You have several entitlements if your flight is delayed, cancelled, or you are denied boarding. If your flight is delayed, the entitlement depends on how long the flight was delayed. There are several conditions that should be met before you may make any kind of claim including:
- When your flight that is shorter than 1,500 km is delayed for more than 2 hours.
- When a flight you had booked within the EU that is longer than 1,500 km is delayed for more than 3 hours.
- When a flight outside the EU is delayed for more than 3 hours as long as it is between 1,500 and 3,500 km.
- When any other flight for which you have a confirmed booking is delayed for more than 4 hours.
If any of the above applies to you, then you may have several entitlements. You may be entitled to make two free calls, faxes, or emails. You are also entitled to free meals and refreshments. As long as they are proportionate to the length of the delay. You are entitled to free hotel accommodation and transfers if the delay is overnight. If the delay lasts more than five hours, you can claim a refund of the entire amount of your ticket cost. As long as the flight has not been cancelled.
Whether or not you are entitled for flight compensation depends on whether or not the airline could have prevented the delay. If the airline proves that the delay was as a result of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ which it could do nothing about.
What exactly constitutes ‘extraordinary circumstances’?
They are circumstances beyond the airlines control. This includes security risks, political unrest, and severe weather conditions that make it dangerous to fly. Strikes by airline staff are also included in the ‘extraordinary circumstances’. Technical difficulties can also be considered to be ‘extraordinary.’ As long as they could not have been fixed by engineers during routine maintenance. Regardless of the reason given by the airline, you are free to challenge it if you think that there is reasonable amount of evidence to the contrary. For instance, the airline should not claim bad weather caused the delay if flights with similar destinations were still departing.
You are also entitled to compensation if a flight is cancelled regardless of the reason for the cancellation. However long the time between cancellation and the scheduled take-off time is, you have two options available. You may choose to get a full refund of the ticket cost or you may request to be booked on an alternative flight to your destination.
To find out more you check the regulations on the EU air passenger compensation site.