How EU airlines deal with compensation and refund claims
The aviation industry has been growing for decades. And while business nearly came to a halt due to the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 there is no doubt that the industry will continue its growth after the pandemic. With millions of flights carried out each day, it is no wonder that severe delays and cancellations occur on a daily basis. However, only 14% of all travellers even know the EU Passenger Rights Regulation exists and that they are often entitled to a compensation of up to €600 per passenger in case of a delayed or cancelled flight. Only a fraction of these passengers are aware of how to claim this money from the airline and less than 1% of all passengers actually succeed in getting the compensation or refund they are legally entitled to. Flight-delayed.co.uk exists to protect these passengers’ rights and, with the help of an intelligent system as well as an experienced team, enforces these rights against airlines whenever passengers fail to succeed. Curious about your last flight disruption and what your rights are? Continue reading for some tips and tricks to enforce your rights or check your flight in our free claim calculator and find out immediately what you’re entitled to:
Why is it so difficult to claim compensation or a refund directly from the airline?
Claiming a refund or a compensation from an airline can be a nerve-wracking and time-consuming exercise. Airlines have developed and perfected a number of different tricks to avoid paying compensation to passengers affected by flight delays or cancellations. Among other things, customers are simply ignored or repeatedly put off. Waiting for a first response from the airline can take several months. Passengers then often open this email only to find out that the airline has come up with some sort of excuse as to why the passenger is not entitled to a compensation or refund. These reasons often include bad weather conditions at an airport that the passenger has never been to, or state other extraordinary circumstances as to why a compensation is not due. Affected travellers are left without any means to check if these circumstances are actually true. Another trick from airlines is to offer vouchers to passengers which are far below the value of the actual compensation. In return for vouchers, customers are then forced to sign a waiver.
These activities work because airlines rely on the unawareness of their customers and hope that they will eventually get annoyed and give up. In this case, the service of Flight-delayed.co.uk is there to help you. Our experienced team knows the tricks of the airlines and knows how to deal with them. Should an airline not recognise your right to compensation, we will also go to court for you to enforce your rights together with our international team of lawyers. Of course, this is done at no additional cost to you.
How can I claim compensation or a refund from the airline?
Should you be affected by a flight delay or cancellation, you can take multiple steps that will help you in the process of claiming your compensation or the refund of your ticket costs.
- Keep all documents from your trip. This includes the booking confirmation, your boarding pass, as well as receipts for any other costs, such as transport, accommodation or meals, that you incurred as a result of the flight delay or cancellation.
- Have your flight delay or cancellation confirmed in writing by airline staff and, if possible, find out the reason for your disruption.
- Document the exact course of your delay including the time at which the doors opened after landing at your destination. In case of a cancellation, document what happened after you got informed and in case you got offered a replacement flight, note down the flight number and exact time and date of departure and landing.
- Exchange contact information with other passengers. This way, you will have witnesses and can assist each other in pursuing your claims.
The notes made and documents collected can drastically increase your chances of being successful yourself down the road. The next step is to contact the airline directly and demand compensation in writing. Here you describe the exact circumstances of your flight disruption, state the number of passengers for whom you are demanding compensation or a refund and, in case you are claiming a compensation, define how much compensation you are demanding per person.
This procedure against the airline can often be stressful and frustrating, as airlines usually refuse to acknowledge the claims. Flight-delayed.co.uk has over 10 years of experience and has already helped millions of passengers. Despite airlines often fighting back, our experienced team knows how to deal with these excuses and tricks and forces airlines to pay out all claims, they are legally obliged to pay.
How can Flight-delayed.co.uk help me claim compensation or a refund from the airline?
Thanks to our intelligent system, we collect airplane and airport data as well as weather conditions and other possible disruptions from all around the globe. This allows us to exactly determine the probability of successfully claiming a refund or compensation with an airline. We also track previous court decisions and have a competent team of lawyers in 9 European countries, meaning we are always up to date with the current legal situation across Europe. All of this data, combined with our experiences team, makes it possible for us to enforce claims, that travellers, lawyers or even other claiming agencies have failed to successfully close. Still unsure if we could help you with your claim? Read more about some of the airlines that we have forced in the past to acknowledge passenger’s rights and pay them the compensation or refund they are legally entitled to.
British Airways
British Airways was founded in its current shape in 1974 and is the national carrier of the United Kingdom. The airline's headquarters are in London and its base is at London Heathrow Airport. Other hubs are at London City and London Gatwick airports.
British Airways is one of the world's largest airlines and is part of the Oneworld airline alliance. Together with Iberia and Vueling, British Airways forms the holding company International Airlines Group (IAG).
From 1976 to 2003, British Airways operated flights from London to New York, which reached their destination in only 3.5 hours. This was made possible by the operation of the Concorde, the only supersonic passenger aircraft in scheduled service.
KLM
KLM is the national airline of the Netherlands and the oldest existing airline in the world. KLM was founded on 7 October 1919, so in 2019 the airline could already celebrate its 100th birthday.
KLM's headquarters are in Amstelveen, a town outside Amsterdam, and the airline's main hub is at the nearby Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The airline is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance and together with Air France it forms the umbrella brand Air France-KLM.
Air France
Air France is the national carrier of France and was founded in 1933. The airline's headquarters are in Paris and its corporate base is at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Air France is a founding member of the SkyTeam airline alliance and operates the Air France-KLM umbrella brand together with the Dutch airline KLM.
The airline also owns Air Corsica and Air France HOP. Both airlines operate mainly regional flights.
EasyJet
easyJet is the second largest low-cost airline in Europe after Ryanair. The airline is part of the British easyGroup, which also includes easyJet Switzerland and easyJet Europe. The airline is based in Luton, where easyJet also has its home airport.
Due to the threat of Brexit, easyJet has applied for a European Air Operator's Certificate in Austria in order to be able to operate flights throughout Europe and within the EU even in the event of a hard Brexit.
Emirates
Emirates is the state-owned airline of the Emirate of Dubai, which was founded in 1985. It is now the largest airline of the United Arab Emirates.
Emirates is especially known for the high-class Business and First Class on its flights. In their larger aircrafts, such as the A380, guests of these flight classes have the opportunity to pass the time during their flight at an on-board bar.
How does the service of Flight-delayed.co.uk work?
In the event of a flight delay, cancellation or overbooking, we are happy to help you enforce your rights with the airline. Flight-delayed.co.uk works on a No win, no fee basis. This means that we only charge a success fee on the amount enforced if we are successful - otherwise the service is free of charge for you! With the help of our claim calculator, you can find out in just a few minutes, free of charge and without obligation, whether you are entitled to compensation or a refund and how much money you could receive:
After checking your flight, you can then file a claim with us and we will help you get compensated for your flight delay or compensation. Our international team of experts will get to work for you immediately and you don't have to worry about anything else.
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