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Compensation for delayed flights
Recover up to€600/£520 per person
Edited by Adrian Defta
If your flight is delayed, it's important to know that you have rights – whether you're reading this at the airport or it happened weeks ago. And if the delay is more than three hours, you may be entitled to compensation of up to €600/£520 – provided the delay was the airline's fault. Thanks to a landmark court ruling, it's now much easier to claim compensation if your flight was delayed because airline staff were sick.
If you have any difficulties, contact us for free and we will try to help you!
Step 1: Is your flight regulated by the UK/EU?
Toate regulile despre care vorbim mai jos se bazează pe acest fapt simplu. Pentru a fi acoperit, zborul trebuie să fie reglementat fie de regulile din Regatul Unit, fie de cele din UE (care sunt aceleași reguli în vigoare). Iată ce este acoperit:
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ORICE ZBOR care pleacă de pe un aeroport din Regatul Unit/UE
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ORICE COMPANIE AERIANĂ din Regatul Unit sau UE care ajunge la un aeroport din Regatul Unit/UE
Aceasta înseamnă că, dacă este un zbor în interiorul Regatului Unit și UE, ești acoperit deoarece va fi plecat cu siguranță de pe un aeroport din Regatul Unit/UE. Întrebări apar dacă ai un zbor din afara UE către Regatul Unit (sau alt aeroport din UE). În acest caz, contează compania aeriană.
Așadar, un zbor de la Manchester la New York este acoperit de reguli indiferent de compania aeriană, dar un zbor de la New York la Manchester ar fi acoperit pe British Airways, dar nu și pe American Airlines.
Ce se întâmplă cu zborurile în codeshare?
Contează operatorul zborului. Deci, în exemplul de mai sus, dacă ai rezervat cu British Airways, dar te-a întors din New York pe un codeshare operat de American Airlines, atunci American Airlines este cea care contează, ceea ce înseamnă că nu ești acoperit de reguli.
Step 2: Are you eligible for compensation?
Anumite zboruri reglementate de Regatul Unit/UE sunt eligibile pentru despăgubiri la o rată fixă conform schemei de despăgubiri pentru întârzieri de zbor din Regatul Unit/UE. Pentru a te califica, zborul tău trebuie să îndeplinească toate criteriile următoare:
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Ai ajuns la destinație cu mai mult de trei ore mai târziu decât era programat.
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Zborul a fost programat să zboare în ultimii șase ani (cinci în Scoția).
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Motivul întârzierii a fost din vina companiei aeriene. De exemplu, o lipsă de personal ar fi, dar vremea rea nu ar fi. (Nu ești sigur? Vezi informațiile complete despre ce este probabil să fie în controlul companiei aeriene.)
De asemenea, este posibil să poți solicita despăgubiri dacă ai fost dat jos de pe zbor din cauza suprarezervării.
Now we know for sure: airline staff getting sick is considered "the airline's fault."
A landmark Supreme Court ruling has paved the way for hundreds of thousands of claims for compensation for flight delays/cancellations. It clarifies once and for all that staff absence due to illness is the airline's responsibility; it cannot be invoked as an "extraordinary circumstance" that exempts them from paying compensation.
If you've had a flight cancelled or delayed for more than a certain period of time in the last six years (five in Scotland) and it was due to staff/pilot illness, you could be entitled to hundreds of pounds in compensation. Find out how to claim.
The Association of British Insurers says:
Most travel insurance policies will offer some coverage if your flight is delayed, but this can be quite limited. Delay coverage will usually only come into effect if the delay was caused by adverse weather conditions, strikes, or mechanical failure of the aircraft.
This cover will also usually only come into effect after a certain period of time, for example if the delay exceeds eight hours. However, this will not be the case for every policy, so you should check the terms of your travel insurance to see what is included.
Cristian sent us an email in July 2024 to tell us that he managed to get money
I saw the flight delay links in my weekly email and decided to save them...just in case. I flew out of Iasi on Saturday, July 20th. Our flight was delayed by 3.5 hours, so I decided to follow the links and applied.
I wasn't sure it would be covered and expected it to be rejected, but I received £475 from Wizz Air this morning.
Thank you very much for the advice at the right time.
Cristian by email
It's about when you arrive, not when you leave.
Compensation under EU and UK rules is intended to compensate for the inconvenience caused by the delay – it is not a refund of the cost of the flight ticket. So the amount you will receive is fixed, depending on how long you were delayed and how far you travelled.
Importantly, compensation is based on the time you arrive, not the time you depart. You will start to be eligible for compensation if your flight arrives three hours (or more) later than scheduled. So if you are on a flight that takes off four hours late but lands two hours and 55 minutes later, you will not be eligible.
Arrival time is considered to be when at least one of the plane doors is open.
Top tip : You can use Web Flyer to check the distance of your flight
If you don't remember exactly how long your flight was delayed, things get a little more complicated. But there's a calculator that can help.
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Another subscriber who succeeded:
I didn't know I could go back six years to claim compensation for a flight delay. I was delayed on a long flight from London to Bangkok, Thailand in January 2020 and arrived 11 hours late. I followed your guide and submitted my claim directly to Thai Airways and three weeks later £1,040 was paid into my account for me and my wife. Fantastic result, thank you
Remember, it's the flight operator, not the company you booked your ticket with, that is responsible when things go wrong. So, if you booked a ticket through Qantas but flew on a British Airways plane, then British Airways is responsible if something goes wrong.
Explain what went wrong and state what you want in terms of compensation and/or refund. You can use this link to recheck the flight distance .
If you are submitting your claim under EU law , please mention that you wish to claim compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004.
If you are making your claim under UK law , please state that you wish to claim compensation under the Air Passenger Rights and Licensing of Air Travel Organisers (Amendment) (EU Withdrawal) Regulations 2019 – this is where EU Regulation 261/2004 has been incorporated into UK law.
It's important to do this – mentioning the law every time shows airlines that you are informed.
Has your claim been rejected or put on hold by the airline? Proceed with your complaint to the regulator or adjudicators
Just because your claim has been rejected or put on hold by the airline doesn’t mean that’s the end of your complaint. If you believe you have a legitimate claim, you can take your case to either the relevant regulatory authority or one of the many new alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes that many airlines have signed up to. The advantage of using an ADR scheme is that its decision is generally binding on the airline.
If the airline has signed up to an ADR scheme , they must inform you when they reject your claim, and if the ADR scheme covers the flight you travelled on, you MUST contact them if you want to appeal. Escalating your complaint is usually free, but be careful – some of the arbitrators (such as CEDR, which covers British Airways and Cathay Pacific) charge a fee if your appeal is unsuccessful.
If the airline has not yet signed up to an ADR scheme , you will need to contact the relevant regulatory authority. It is worth noting that regulatory authorities cannot issue binding decisions (so they cannot force airlines to pay) – they will tell you whether they think you have a valid complaint and, if so, they will contact the airline.
For any flight departing from the UK or arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline, you will need to contact the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) or the relevant country's regulator. You can file a complaint via the CAA website for free – it will take around a week to decide whether they can accept your case and, if so, will make a final decision within 10 weeks.
We want to hear about your situation. Whether you were able to successfully claim, or you tried but ran into problems, let us know at
If you are kicked off a flight, you may be entitled to compensation
Airlines often book more passengers on a flight than there are seats available, based on the fact that it is unlikely that everyone will show up. If everyone does show up, then airlines may have to ask some passengers to wait for another flight.
If you voluntarily give up your seat, then the amount of compensation you are entitled to is negotiated between you and the airline, although you are likely to receive cash or vouchers, plus a seat on a later flight and food/a hotel if there is a long/or overnight wait.
If there aren't enough volunteers willing to give up their seats, airlines can deny boarding to select passengers. Typically, those with expensive tickets or elite frequent flyer status won't be forced to disembark. Some airlines may choose passengers who showed up last at check-in or those who bought cheap tickets.
If you are forced to disembark due to overbooking, then under UK/EU rules you are entitled to compensation. This means you can get a refund or a new flight, and depending on the alternative flight times you are offered, you may also be eligible for compensation – even if you opt for a refund – because the overbooking was the airline’s fault. The table below shows how much you could receive.
Wasn't it a UK/EU flight? You may still have a claim, but it will require more effort
Dacă nu ai fost pe un zbor reglementat de UK sau UE, din păcate nu vei fi acoperit de schema de despăgubire pentru întârzieri de zbor UK/UE.
Din fericire, majoritatea companiilor aeriene își bazează termenii și condițiile pe cele recomandate de Asociația Internațională de Transport Aerian. Asta înseamnă că atunci când apar întârzieri, majoritatea companiilor aeriene au obligația contractuală de a oferi pasagerilor o alegere între un zbor ulterior, un transport alternativ convenit reciproc sau o rambursare.
Dar dacă vrei să încerci să obții și despăgubiri, există câteva opțiuni pe care le poți încerca:
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Verifică dacă există scheme similare de despăgubire. CAA spune că ar trebui să verifici mai întâi dacă țara în care este bazată compania aeriană are scheme similare de despăgubire.
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Vezi dacă poți depune o cerere conform Convenției de la Montreal. Dacă ai fost pe un zbor internațional care a decolat dintr-una dintre țările semnatare ale Convenției de la Montreal (peste 100 sunt – vezi lista completă), s-ar putea să poți solicita despăgubiri pentru pierderile cauzate de întârziere. Pentru a depune cererea, fă o plângere direct la compania aeriană spunând că dorești să recuperezi conform Convenției de la Montreal.
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Plânge-te la compania aeriană. Verifică pe site-ul companiei aeriene procedura sa de reclamații.
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Verifică dacă ești acoperit de asigurarea ta de călătorie. Polița ta de asigurare de călătorie poate oferi o acoperire limitată pentru întârzieri, deși nu toate polițele o fac. Unele ar putea să îți plătească o sumă forfetară în funcție de durata întârzierii, în timp ce altele îți vor rambursa pur și simplu costurile pe care le-ai suportat, cum ar fi hoteluri sau transport alternativ.
Sunt țări non-UE care oferă despăgubiri pentru întârzieri?
Un număr de țări oferă despăgubiri pentru întârzieri și anulări, inclusiv Canada și Noua Zeelandă. Dar nu toate o fac – am enumerat mai jos unele dintre cele mai mari destinații.
If you have any difficulties, contact us for free and we will try to help you!
Guide created by Adrian Defta based on his experience and official sources of information (MSE, FCA, FOS, HMRC, etc.)
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