Flight delay: European Regulation for passengers

Flight delay: European Regulation for passengers

When travelling by plane, it’s not uncommon to see that dreaded word on the departure screen: “Delayed”. But what can you do in this situation? Luckily in a lot of cases, passengers are entitled to compensation, although many are unaware of their rights. Thanks to the EU Passenger Rights Regulation, you can receive compensation of up to 600 € in case of a flight delay. There are a few factors to keep in mind when making a claim against the airline and we’ll briefly cover these in this article. To read more in-depth information on your rights when your flight is delayed, go here.

Extraordinary circumstance: Flight delay

The first thing to note is whether your flight delay was because of an extraordinary circumstance. This is when the airline cannot be blamed, for example when there is extreme, unpredictable weather (such as a sudden storm), when pilots or ground personnel strike, or when there is a bird strike (when the plane hits a bird while in flight).

Because these are beyond the airline’s control, they are not held responsible and passengers cannot claim for compensation. The area of extraordinary circumstances can be murky and a little complicated and of course airlines are experienced in dealing with passenger claims – in general the examples above are a good guideline to go by, but it’s always worth double-checking exactly caused your flight delay before claiming.

Flight delay of 3 hours, distance & route

Your flight delay wasn’t caused by an extraordinary circumstance? This is a good start - the next thing to pay attention to is your flight route and where the airline is headquartered. The EU Regulation covers flights within or from the EU. Flights entering the EU from a non-EU country are also covered, but the airline must be based in the EU for you to receive compensation.

The length of the delay is key to measuring how much, if any, compensation you are able to get in your particular case. When your flight is delayed for a least 3 hours at your destination, you have a claim and the amount you receive is also dependent on the length of the flight.

In basic terms, the longer your flight, the more compensation you are entitled to. For example, when your flight is outside the EU, 3500 km and delayed by 4 hours, passengers can receive 600 €, whereas with a flight within the EU of up to 1500 km and a 3-hour delay, the amount is 250 €.

Check your delayed flight claim

It can seem confusing and it’s easy to panic when your flight is delayed, but the EU Passenger Rights Regulation is in place to protect you. Always remember to note: Was it an extraordinary circumstance? How long was the delay? What was the flight distance and route? Where is the airline based? By keeping these factors in mind, you can stay on top of your rights and get the compensation you deserve.

By using our compensation calculator, you can leave us to figure all this out – there is no need to start trying to measure the distance of your flight or do an in-depth investigation whether there was an extraordinary circumstance or not. By entering your flight number and date, our system processes all the relevant data to show if you have a claim. If you do, we can even tell you how much you can expect to receive. Remember, this could be up to 600 €, so it’s always worth checking. Plus, it’s simple to do and, if you do decide to choose MYFLYRIGHT to take on your case there’s no financial risk at all. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us and our team of experts will be happy to help.