Airline fine print: What you need to know

Apr 15 2025 MFR travel team

Let’s be honest, none of us reads the small print when clicking “accept” when buying flight tickets. Ain’t that right? The same small print we don’t read is what actually determines what happens if your flight get delayed or cancelled and in case your bags get lost. Have you ever wondered why you don’t always get your money back when things go wrong? It’s all because of that same fine print we all agree to upon booking. Knowing what’s in that contract will help you protect yourself and fight for your rights as a passenger. Let’s explain it all in simple terms.

What is airline’s contract of carriage?

Okay, so the contract of carriage is just a fancy name for a rulebook that airlines have. Now, all airlines have their own rulebook, but most of them have similar rules. This involves when they will give you money back, when they won’t give you and what will happen if you get bumped by chance for a flight because they sold more tickets than they usually should.

The rules that affect whether you get compensation

1. Force majeure (Stuff airlines say isn’t their fault)

When something big is happening that the airline can’t control they don’t have to pay anything. Such thing can be bad weather, wars or strikes by airport staff. This is the all time favorite excuse of the airlines to avoid giving compensation. Let’s say your flight got cancelled because of a snowstorm, then you’re probably out of luck especially when visible outside the airport.

2. When your flight is cancelled or delayed

Sometimes, the airline cancels your flight or it gets delayed. Some contracts say that they will try to rebook you on another flight, but they won’t always have to compensate you for the trouble. Now, if you’re flying in the US airlines are not legally obligate to give you compensation unless it’s their fault, but this is not always guaranteed either. In Europe will be a whole other case, unless your flight gets cancelled or delayed due to bad weather or other unforeseen circumstance, then you have a good chance of getting compensation for the flight disruption.

3. Overbooking and getting kicked off a flight

Most airlines sell more tickets than they are supposed to. When many people show up for the flight some get bumped, because then it’s first come, first serve. Now, if this happens to you don’t just leave in defeat. In the US you can get four time the cost of your ticket, because of that and the delay is long enough. In Europe however you are entitled to rebooking and as long as it’s overbooking you could be entitled to compensation too. Always ask for compensation in such case!

4. Baggage problems

Have you experienced luggage problems? Lost, delayed or damaged? Airlines don’t really want to pay a lot for that. First thing you have to do is file Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the airport and if it’s still lost after 21 days, then you can claim compensation up to €1,600 under the Montreal Convention. Now, airline’s may ask you to show receipt for the more expensive items in your bag and this claim have to be submitted with the airline within 7 days of the declaring your luggage lost. But it’s also good idea to get travel insurance that also protects your luggage. Bonus – if the airline decides to not respect your claim, feel free to escalate it to EU consumer protection.

5. Getting a refund or a new ticket

If your flight changes a lot (like they move it to another day), you can probably get a ticket refund. However sometimes the contract could say otherwise, like not receiving a cash refund but more like future flight credit (a little tactic to pressure you to get another flight with them and remain their customer, since we all think “why to leave this credit to go to waste”). Then again, you can always ask for a refund instead regardless of their offer for flight credit. Those credits have expiration date which could also lead to you losing money if not used in time.

How to get what you deserve

1. Wait! Before you buy ticket, make sure to take a quick peek at the rules of the airline. Those contracts can be tricky! Some are better than others, especially those budget airlines. They often try to doge paying.

2. Always, and I mean ALWAYS, be aware of the rules of the airline you’re booking with. They don’t always like to play fair and knowing what you’re involved in and what you also deserve when your flight pulls the short stick and get disrupted. In Europe laws are way stronger than in the US or Asia.

3. Did you delete the emails from the airline? Better pull them out of the trash folder and screenshot them and keep all of your receipts, since they are evidence, and you’ll definitely need it for your claim.

4. Look through your credit card’s travel perks, they might even cover lost luggage or delay. The airline maybe won’t want to pay but hey, the credit card company could be more than happy to!

Final thoughts

The fine print in the contract of the airlines is definitely boring, but it’s what can give us the biggest headache if your flight gets delayed or cancelled, or your bags get lost. Airline’s often try to pull some tricky rules to avoid paying you the compensation you deserve. That’s why you always have to read so you can avoid being cheated on what you deserve. It will take a few minutes to read through the rules but you’ll thank us later when you’re aware of what to do. Remember, MYFLYRIGHT can help you claim compensation for flight delay and cancellations, and luggage problems. So next time you fly, don’t just accept the terms blindly know what you’re agreeing to, and use it to your advantage!