Services

Our services: An overview

Here at MYFLYRIGHT, we are the experts for passenger rights and pursue claims against airlines involving the following flight issues:

• Flight irregularities: In the event of a flight delay, flight cancellation or boarding refusal, you are entitled to compensation between 250 € and 600 €.
• Baggage problems: If your suitcase get lost, arrives late or damaged at the destination, you can claim up to 1 500 €.
• Ticket refund: If you cancel your ticket, you can claim back the refundable costs, which can be up to 70% of the total ticket price.

This chapter gives you an overview of the conditions under which claims for compensation arise, their amount, and the deadlines to be met in the claim procedure. You can find more detailed information, as well as our letter template for claiming against the airline in the relevant chapter corresponding to your specific case.

Unfortunately, most passengers are not sufficiently aware of their flight rights. Only a small percentage – around 5% - are able to successfully enforce their claims independently. The airlines benefit from this lack of knowledge and can avoid providing compensation.

MYFLYRIGHT wants to put an end to this injustice.

With the help of our compensation calculator, you can quickly and for free check whether there is any claim for compensation in your case and, if so, how high the compensation would be. You then have the option of using our services to make your claim.

If your case successfully passes through our compensation calculator, there are two possible ways of receiving your compensation. One option is a claim enforcement, which takes 4 - 10 weeks for the compensation to be transferred to your account and a commission fee of 25% plus VAT is applied. If we have to engage our external lawyers, we charge a surcharge of 10%. For certain cases, an immediate pay-out is provided, where the compensation is sent within 24 hours of us receiving the relevant documentation required for your claim. For these, a 35% commission fee plus VAT is charged.

Compensation for flight disruptions

There are a number of factors that can prevent you from arriving at your destination as scheduled. The flight may be delayed or cancelled, or your boarding could be denied. These disruptions are stressful experiences, which can quickly ruin your trip. Fortunately, your rights are protected in such instances under the EU Passenger Rights Regulation EC No 261 / 2004 and you can be compensated for the inconvenience.

When can I claim for flight compensation?

To qualify for compensation or services, the following requirements must be met:

• Flight Delay: Your flight arrives at the destination airport at least 3 hours later than scheduled.
• Flight Cancellation: The airline informs you of the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure date.
• Denied boarding: You have checked in on time and have all the necessary documents for travel. Nevertheless, the airline denies your boarding or the flight is overbooked.

Please note: These claims are outlined by the EU Regulation 261 / 2004 and apply to all flights within the EU and to all outbound flights from the EU. It also applies to all flights from non-EU countries that land in the EU. In these cases, however, the operating airline must be headquartered in the EU.

Flight compensation rules: How much can I claim?

The compensation amount you may receive is between 250 € and 600 €. This is calculated according to flight distance:

• 600 € - for flights over 3 500 kilometres (beyond the EU border).
• 400 € - for flights between 1 500 and 3 500 kilometres (beyond the EU border) and over 1 500 kilometres (within the EU).
• 250 € - for flights up to 1 500 kilometres (within the EU).

Overview of the amount of compensation in relation to flight distance:

Flight overbooking - compensation reduction cases

As clarified above, you also have the right to compensation if you take an alternative flight provided by the airline. However, the payment amounts previously described will be reduced by 50% if the flight falls within a specific period of time.

Here is a table which explains this in more detail:

EU passenger rights: Claim additional services

There are additional benefits which you have the right to when you have experienced a problem during air travel. Even with a waiting time of 2 hours, the airline must provide you with free meals and refreshments, plus 2 free phone calls, emails or faxes.

In case of flight cancellation, denied boarding, or a delay of at least 5 hours, you have the choice between an alternative flight or a refund of the ticket fare. When the flight disruption occurs when the trip is already underway, you are also entitled to transportation to your departure airport free of charge.

If an alternative flight departs the next day, you must be provided with free overnight accommodation, as well as free transfer from and to the airport. Below, you can see an outline of services and compensation you are entitled to.

Compensation: Flight claim deadline

Although passenger rights are the same for all EU countries, the claim procedures vary across countries. In Germany, you can choose based on 3 factors in which court you want to assert your rights:

• In the court where the place of departure is.
• In the court where the place of arrival of the flight is located.
• In the court where the airline has its headquarters.

It is important to know the statutory timeframe which applies to your case. This varies across the EU. For example, in Germany, you have 3 years and in the UK, you have 6 years in which to make your claim. Even within these timeframes, there are variables. Germany’s time period begins at the end of the year when the flight issue happened, whereas the period in the UK starts from the date the disruption occurred.

The table below gives an overview of the statutory limitations in place in a range of EU countries:

Issues with Baggage: Claim for compensation

The number of people travelling is growing exponentially and as a consequence issues while travelling are increasingly common, baggage issues among them.

Whatever problems which arise while travelling regarding your baggage, the Montreal Convention offers you the right to compensation.

Limitations for Baggage compensation

According to the Montreal Convention, claims for damages for international flights exist between contracting states and domestic flights within the EU.

Note, however, that the passenger cannot claim for compensation if the damage was due to the nature of the baggage itself, if it had a pre-existing defect, or if the passenger is to blame for the luggage damage, for example for improper packing of the baggage.

How much can I claim in baggage compensation?

With baggage issues a set maximum limit of compensation is applied. This limit is 1 131 SDRs (Special Drawing Rights). The SDR is an artificial currency created by the International Monetary Fund to facilitate conversion into local currencies. At the time of writing, 1 SDR is the equivalent of approximately 1.24 €, and 1 131 SDRs equals around 1 500 €. It is understood that this sum will be paid one time per passenger, for checked items of luggage, no matter if the bag is shared with another person.

This compensation equals a maximum of 1 500 € and must cover:

• Delayed baggage: Costs for emergency purchases, such as underwear or hygiene products, bought during the time the baggage was missing are covered. You need to prove all your expenditures; hence you need to keep hold of all your receipts.
• Damaged baggage: Costs for the repair or the current value of luggage, or its damaged content are refunded.
• Lost baggage: Costs for replacement purchases and the current value of the lost suitcase are covered.

Deadline for your luggage claim

When making a claim in the event your baggage is delayed, lost or damaged, it is crucial to comply with the deadlines set out by the Montreal Convention, otherwise you lose the right to compensation.

• When baggage is delayed, a written report must be sent to the airline within 21 days upon receiving it.
• When baggage or its contents are damaged, the written report must be sent within 7 days of baggage receipt.
• When baggage has not arrived at the destination after 21 days, it is officially deemed lost. In this case, passengers have 2 years from the scheduled arrival date of the flight in which to write the report to the airline.

Overview of claim deadlines for baggage issues under the Montreal Convention

Cancel your flight booking - ticket refund

These days, booking a flight is faster and more affordable than ever. It is therefore understandable that mistakes are made when trying to purchase that cheap last-minute ticket, or an unforeseeable situation may arise, meaning you need to cancel your flight ticket. In this case you as a passenger can get back part of the ticket fare. In the event you need to cancel your flight, the BGB German Civil Code applies in Germany.

Conditions for a flight ticket refund

When a passenger books a flight, they are essentially entering a contract with the airline and have the right to cancel their booking, with no reason required. Regardless of whether you suddenly became ill right before departure or were stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the airport, you are entitled to part of the ticket cost, even with so-called “non-refundable” tickets.

Reimbursable costs for cancelled flight ticket

The total price of a flight ticket is made up of several parts, which must be listed individually. Some costs are always refundable, while others may be withheld by the airline:

• Taxes and fees do not apply to unused flights and must be repaid to the passenger in full.
• The actual ticket price and the transaction fees are not always refundable.

Flight ticket cancellation: Claim deadlines

The deadline to receive a refund on taxes and fees from a cancelled flight ticket varies across the EU. For example, in Germany you have 3 years to enforce your claim.

Claiming independently can be costly and time-consuming and in order to make the process easier, MYFLYRIGHT, the experts for travel rights, can pursue your case for you. By using our services, you can claim with no financial risk, while saving yourself the stress and effort involved with dealing with the airline.

You can find a letter template for claiming your ticket refund here:

Open letter template