Introduction to Flight Delay Compensation

If your flight delays and you are waiting around for hours just to be stuck on a plane for even longer is tiring, even though you aren't really doing anything! Especially if you have young children and are stuck there for 6 hours, or even overnight!

If you have a delayed flight of 3 hours or more then your airline has a duty of care to give you free food and drink vouchers for the inconvenience, and if your Delayed Flight is overnight, then their duty of care is to pay for you to sleep in a hotel near the airport, and also to give you the vouchers. Even if you have received these vouchers or/and been giving overnight accommodation then you can still claim flight delay compensation

So, for example, if your flight has been delayed overnight because there was a technical problem with the plane and they couldn't fix it, then yes, you are eligible to make a claim. But if your flight was delayed 179 minutes due to a storm then you would not be eligible. Or if you were coming to London from Paris on a British Airways flight and the delay duration and reason met the criteria set by the EU then you could claim for delayed flight. But you would not be able to claim delayed flight compensation if you are coming from India to Manchester on an Air India flight, even if the delay and reason was eligible.

How to claim compensation for a delayed flight?

If you have spoken to the airline, and they offer you money off your next flight then you can't process a claim for delayed flight compensation, as this is classed as compensation from the airline themselves, even though it is not actual money.

However, if they offered it and you have said no, because you don't wish to travel with them again after this flight delay disaster then you can process a claim for any flight delays because you haven't accepted their amount of compensation.

Some airlines offer a "welfare package", which consists of food, drinks, 2 phone calls, and if you have an overnight Delayed Flight then accommodation, food at the accommodation and transport to and from the accommodation must be provided. This is not classed as flight delay compensation from the airline, no matter how much the vouchers are (usually just enough to feed one person) so if you have had any flight delays within the last six years and you want to claim compensation for a delayed flight then please do get in contact!