How to Claim Flight Delay Compensation

Flight delays can be frustrating, but you might be entitled to compensation.

What Is Compensation For Delayed Flights From Airlines?

Flight delay is a common problem that can occur when you’re travelling by plane. It mostly happens due to weather reasons. However, whether the airline has to delay their flight for safety reasons, schedule failure, or any other reasons, it’s wasting your time. Sometimes it might also cause financial loss and use up your travel budgets.

Fortunately, if the delay or cancelled is due to the airline’s fault or something they can control, you are entitled to compensation. This means that you don’t have to claim your travel insurance.

You will be offered care and assistance from the airline should your flight gets delayed. The compensation you’re entitled to include:

Food and drink.
Accomodation and transport between the airport and hotel if your flight is delayed overnight.
Access to phone calls and emails.

If the delay lasts for five or more hours, you may be able to choose not to travel and get a full refund, though this varies between airlines.

The airlines must also pay special attention to the needs of unaccompanied children and disabled passengers.

Key Points

Flight delays won’t only waste your time and causes frustrations but also financial loss.
You are entitled to compensation from the airline, if the delay is the airline’s fault.
Travel insurance will reimburse and compensate you for flight delays, even if it’s not the airline’s fault.

What Are the Compensations For a Delayed Flight You Are Entitled To?

The compensation you’ll receive depends on how long the flight is delayed. The following are the standard compensation from most airlines:

Flight delay over 2 hours but less than 3 hours: The airline should provide a simple meal and drink and electronic facilities for passengers.
Flight delay over 3 hours but less than 5 hours: The airline must provide a meal and drink and communication facilities. If the passenger requires to change the airline to travel to the same destination, the airline has to pay for the ticket equal to the amount the passenger has paid.
Flight delay over 5 hours: If the flight is delayed for 5 hours or more, you can choose to not take the flight.

If You Don’t Take the Flight (Flights Delayed For 5 Hours or More)

If you don’t take the flight, you might be given:

A full refund for the flight.
If you are part-way through a trip, a flight back to the airport you originally departed from.
A full refund for other flights from the airline that won’t be used in the same booking, such as a return flight.

If You Do Take the Flight (Flights Delayed For 5 Hours or More)

If you do take the flight, you can still claim compensation if the delay is the airline’s fault.

What Are the Exclusions of Flight Compensation From the Airline?

If the delay was due to something outside of the airline’s control, then you can’t claim compensation. The following are some examples of situations outside the airline’s control:

Air sector strikes.
Bed weather, such as heavy rain, thunderstorms, thick fog, or high gusts of wind.
Natural disasters, such as hurricane and volcanic eruption.
Politcal situations, such as security risks, political unrest, and terror attacks.
An ill or unruly passager.
Delays caused by airport staff, such as long lines for security checks.

If a flight delay is caused by your airline’s fault, you can claim for compensation.

How To Claim For Flight Delay Compensation From the Airline?

Contact the Airline
The first thing you need to do is contact the airline operating the flight, even if you booked it through another airline. You can contact the airline’s customer services department for help. They will usually ask you to provide your flight details and booking reference numbers.

Write Your Claim
Write down what went wrong and what you want the airline to give you.

Keep Records
Make sure to keep copies of your claim and the response from the airline. If you speak to anyone from the airline, always take notes. The notes could be useful should you decide to take your claim further.

Flight delay compensation from travel insurance is more comprehensive. It will cover you when the flight is delayed from unexpected circumstances.

What Is Flight Delay Compensation From Travel Insurance?

Some airline doesn’t have the policy to facilitate their passengers if the flight is delayed. Also, the compensation offered is mostly limited. If it’s not the airline’s fault or is out of their control, such as bad weather, you’re most likely won’t receive any compensations at all. This means that you have to get ready for financial loss, in addition to frustration.

However, if you have travel insurance, you don’t have to worry about the financial consequences as it will cover you for covered situations. With travel insurance, you might be reimbursed by the hour, depending on the policy you get. Also, some policies offer you meals, accommodation, and transportation while you are waiting for a delayed flight. All you need is to file your claim with confirmation documents from the airline to be reimbursed. Having travel insurance would save a lot of your travel budget.

What Are the Exclusions of Flight Delay Compensation From Travel Insurance?

Although flight delay compensation from your travel insurance is more comprehensive and covers many reasons that the airline cannot, there are some exclusions you need to be aware of. The list below is the standard exclusions.

You don’t show up on time at the airport to receive the flight delay confirmation document, which is required for you to file a claim.
The government announced to postpone the flight before you travel.
The delayed flight is announced by the airline before you purchase the travel insurance.