While dealing with a flight delay or cancellation, getting fair compensation likely isn’t at the top of mind. Instead, you are focused on finishing your travels and getting to your final destination without any more setbacks.
No amount of thought can prepare you for the potential legal battle that a fight for flight delay compensation will bring to your doorstep. You might be wondering, is it worth it?
Facing Reality: The Flight Delay Compensation Claim Process
If you ask us here at TravelRefund, each claim is worth a deeper look. The airlines will never make things easy for you, but passengers in the EU can respond to delays and cancellations with force, because they have rights.
We are aware of the delay tactics that an airline might turn too, but most importantly, we understand your rights. An airline might delay your flight delay compensation request, but we are prepared to jump through those hoops and put the necessary effort into having your claim responded to, taken to the court system, and paid out. Below, we explore three aspects of collecting flight delay compensation in the EU .
Understanding Your Rights, and When to Fight
If you don’t have a gasp on your rights as a passenger in the EU, your attempts at collecting flight delay compensation may prove to be for naught.
Even if you do know what your rights are, having the ability to apply that knowledge to your current situation is just as important as knowing. This is particularly poignant because, much like any other type of compensation claim, the circumstances are crucial.
Your rights as a passenger became law with the passing of European Passenger Rights Regulation EC 261/04. The law outlines a maximum compensation claim of €600 and covers lengthy delays, issues with connecting flights, and overbooked flights as well as cancellations.
Each situation we just listed shares a common culprit, the airline. If extraordinary circumstances are to blame, you might not have a flight delay compensation case, but remember this. The airline sees your claim as just another thorn in their side, and in no way is your situation going to be unique form the thousands of o ther requests they are dealing with.
Flight cancellations and delays are a reality of the aviation industry. Until you do the required legwork to get their attention, the airline will drag their heels.
Delay Tactics From Airlines
If the EU flight delay compensation process was easy, airlines would be down a lot of money. They don’t want to make it easy though. That’s the whole point!
Delaying these claims is a sport for some airlines. It’s treated as a staring contest where they can blink as many times as they want, but they don’t lose until the white flag goes up.
Airlines might throw flight data or weather forecasts your way and they might not seem particularly accurate. This is an example of the airline trying to claim extraordinary circumstances as the culprit.
Or, they might actually reach out to you, but if you are lucky enough to receive a response in a timely manner, it might just be another delay tactic. Within their correspondence you may find that the airline is using as many legal buzzwords as possible. We understand how this make the process seem less appealing. At this point, you really might be wondering if it’s worth it.
Another common tactic is hiding behind the issue of volume. If the airline is reporting a large quantity of requests, yours might take longer to get too and review. Without proper, professional oversight, airlines can drag this out for as long as they like and leave you in an endless cycle of calling customer service or reaching out to a representative via email to get an update.
By building a process that is anything but simple, airlines benefit from a limited drive from passengers who have a right to flight delay compensation. That’s why understanding your rights and applying them in appropriate situations is so valuable.
Delay tactics are common when an airline might not have valid proof that you aren’t due fair compensation for flight cancellations or delayed flights.
Once again, the volume factor plays a role. The airline sees your claim as just another thorn in their side, one of the thousands. Flight cancellations and delays are part of their business .
Let TravelRefund Fight For Your Compensation
Fighting for flight delay compensation on your own is a tall task, one that could be expensive should it play out over a long period of time. If you are cut out for it, then cheers and good luck along the way!
If not, then getting your compensation claim fulfilled is what we are here to do, and we want to work with you each step of the way.
Regardless of the path you take, you need to start at the same point. If your flight is delayed or cancelled you need to file an official claim with the airline who you booked through. Remember, each airline will have their own process.
If you determine that going after compensation for a flight delay or cancellation in the EU is worth it, TravelRefund is ready to work with you. We work on a no cure, no pay basis which means if the case fails in court, you won’t be charged. This is the value we provide you. EU 261/04 is the foundation of your rights as a passenger, and we plan on defending those rights if given the opportunity.
Rely on the Professionals for Your Compensation Claim
Regardless of the hurdles that airlines throw in front of you, TravelRefund intends on helping you overcome each one. Our mission is to fight for air passenger rights in the EU, and help you get the flight delay compensation your rights. Whether or not it’s worth it is up to you, but we are willing to help you make that determination.
Flight Delay Compensation
Are you ready to take the next step in claiming your compensation? We will fight for you, and we won’t slow down until the claim is paid. Each day is an opportunity to try and improve our process so that our clients get what they deserve, in a timely fashion.
As we explained earlier in the post, TravelRefund operates on a no cure, no pay basis. Either you get your compensation, or you don’t. If the case doesn’t end in victory, you will never get a bill from us. A more substantial compensation payment will accompany the only bill we plan on sending.
Learn more about your options when making a flight delay compensation request for free by filling out our online form .