In co-operation with Flightright
Have you ever had a delayed flight? Do you know if you were entitled to compensation for the delay, and if so, did you receive it? In many cases, people are entitled to compensation for flight delays, but it's not easy to know what to do to actually get your money. In collaboration with Flightright, we share a way to make the process much easier.
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Delayed flight
How annoying is it when your flight is delayed? Often you're already at the airport and you can't use the time for anything pleasant or useful. Often you are not told how long the delay is either. It might start with one hour and end with eight. Meanwhile, you sit there, usually uncomfortably, trying to pass the time.
It's even worse if you actually have an important appointment. Maybe you're going to a conference or going back to work. You lose valuable time when you could have done something completely different, and you may also lose money.
Flight delays we have experienced
We have experienced delayed flights on a few occasions. Once I (Helena) was delayed about ten hours from the Canary Islands. Once, when Peter and I were flying home from Kenya, we were delayed for several hours and missed our connecting flight in Dubai.
We were also delayed once in Beijing, China, when we were bussed to a freezing cold hotel where we had to sit and wait out the delay... Neither time did we apply for compensation, but maybe we could have!
When are you entitled to compensation?
You are entitled to compensation when the airline is responsible for the delay, but you are not entitled to compensation if the delay is due to circumstances beyond the airline's control. This means that you are entitled to compensation in the event of technical faults or staff illness, but not if the delay is due to, for example, strikes, political instability, bird strikes or bad weather.
How do you go about getting compensation?
Just because you are entitled to compensation does not mean it is easy to get it. You can apply for compensation on your own, but it can sometimes be complicated to know how to do it and you should expect to spend some time. One option is to get help through Flightright. On the Flightright website, you can quickly find out what compensation you are entitled to by using the free compensation calculator.
If you allow the company to proceed with the case, they will contact the airline, take the matter to court if necessary, and finally deposit the compensation into your bank account. If Fligthright is successful in claiming compensation, they will deduct 29.75% including VAT as commission. If they fail, you pay nothing for their time. Now that we've done our homework, we'll be a bit more careful next time, so we don't miss out on the compensation we're entitled to!
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Anette says:
I had a lot of trouble this summer when I had to fly from Ronneby to Skellefteå. The flight was both cancelled and almost delayed. Got food coupons directly on site and instructions on how to proceed without me asking for it. I flew with SAS, is a gold member since a few years back and maybe it did its job, got all the help I could want and a lot of compensation. On the other hand, I lost a whole day together with my northern part of the family.
20 September 2018 - 7:33
Helena says:
What good help you got! But yes, unfortunately it is often the case that you miss out on spending time on what you really intended.
20 September 2018 - 13:14
Lena - good for the soul says:
Suffered a long delay two years ago. We were going to Las Palmas. It started with a 10 minute delay and ended with a number of hours. Spent the night on the floor at Arlanda.
The delay was due to a snowstorm first and then the crew's working hours had been exceeded so they had to get some sleep first before we could leave. We got food vouchers on the spot and compensation from both the airline and the insurance company. In the end, the trip was almost free... but we basically lost one day out of five on site!
Hug Lena
20 September 2018 - 8:16
Helena says:
Good that you were reimbursed, but still sad to miss so much time on site! And never fun to have to spend a night on the floor of an airport ...
20 September 2018 - 14:25
Alexandra says:
Great tips! Good to be able to get help too, the airlines are certainly good at advocating for their cause and if you do not really know what you are entitled to, it can be difficult on your own.
In fact, I have been spared any major delays!
20 September 2018 - 8:21
Helena says:
I'm glad you haven't had any delays! We haven't experienced it too many times either, but a few times, and then the council is not so happy ...
20 September 2018 - 14:26
Mr Frank Olsen says:
When we were in Tanzania in 2012, our flight was overbooked on our way home.
This was with KLM and we were travelling via Amsterdam to Stavanger.
We had to wait 4-5 hours at the airport in Dar es Salaam before getting on a flight from Turkish to Istanbul and on to Oslo. From there we were sent with SAS to Stavanger.
We arrived about 6 hours later than the original route.
Being the well-travelled guy I am, I knew all about our rights.
Once home, I contacted KLM and they gave us the choice of 600 euros each in cash compensation or 800 euros in travel vouchers.
Me and my daughter Katrin chose travel vouchers, Janne and her daughter chose cash.
Of course, we also have bonus cards with both Star Alliance (KLM) and Eurobonus (Turkish and SAS). The tickets we got with Turkish were business class, so we got lots of points there.
After we came home, I also contacted KLM and demanded the bonus points we should have had with them on the return trip. It was not our fault that we were not allowed to be on the plane 🙂 We got those points too!
So it pays to know what you are entitled to.
Companies like Flightright are not my cup of tea.
It pays to contact the airlines themselves and get all the compensation, rather than giving away 30 % to such companies.
20 September 2018 - 10:25
Helena says:
If you know how to do it yourself, that's great! It sounds like you did well!
20 September 2018 - 14:34
Ama de casa says:
We have been delayed countless times, missed connections and a lot of other problems. We have received compensation, both on the spot (food and such) and also afterwards when there have been major delays.
But things can get better, too. When we were flying home from Brazil, our flight was cancelled. This meant that we arrived home six hours EARLIER than expected. Haha! You wouldn't think so - but it's important to get to the airport in plenty of time:
https://amacasa.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/hur-kan-en-installt-flyg-gora-att-man-kommer-hem-snabbare/
😀
20 September 2018 - 10:44
Helena says:
"Any problems", haha! And fantastic to manage to come with an earlier plane!!! Good job there! 😉
20 September 2018 - 14:36
Ama de casa says:
And there went my comment?
20 September 2018 - 10:45
Helena says:
Your comment did not disappear, but we have had to change our approach to moderating all comments. Sorry I didn't have time to inform you!
20 September 2018 - 14:37
Role o Carina says:
Great tips, fortunately we have never been delayed for any length of time 🙂 .
But a good tip that we will use just in case!
Take care.....
20 September 2018 - 16:02
Helena says:
Nice that you avoided long delays! 🙂
21 September 2018 - 12:11
BP says:
What a great tip! Because you hardly have the energy to deal with "the bureaucracy" yourself. I have experienced a delay once and a cancelled flight once, but that was a number of years ago. We received fantastic compensation, but we had to take an extra day of holiday, of course.
20 September 2018 - 18:44
Helena says:
If you get the compensation automatically, it's perfect! 🙂 We have been very bad at investigating our possibilities, and then of course we have not received compensation either ... 😉.
21 September 2018 - 12:21
BP says:
Why did you have to moderate all the comments? So very sad. You don't actually have a "suspicious" blog, but rather present "only" facts. Oh it takes its little time to moderate every single comment. Then you must be connected 24/7 then;-)
20 September 2018 - 18:47
Helena says:
Yes, it's a bit sad, but it's for a good cause, i.e. getting approved as a responsible publisher. I hope it doesn't cause any problems! It's probably nothing to do with the content of the site, it's just that everything has to be approved by the responsible publisher... (I wish we didn't have to change it, but unfortunately that wasn't possible).
21 September 2018 - 13:22
Husis blog says:
A few years ago, my male owner and his nephew were delayed at home. They then sought reimbursement / compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004. This gives you the right to 4000:- compensation for shorter flights and he says 6000:- for longer flights.
Hiring a company that charges commission is probably not necessary, but there are plenty of facts online on how to apply.
20 September 2018 - 19:06
Helena says:
If you have the energy and can do it, it's great to fix it yourself of course!
21 September 2018 - 14:56
Veiken says:
The European Consumer Centre can help if you don't get the compensation you are entitled to.
30% to some company for things that are free. No way!
https://www.konsumenteuropa.se/sv/amnesomraden/resor-och-turism/resa-med-flyg/forsenat-flyg/
20 September 2018 - 20:53
Helena says:
Thank you Veiken for your comments and tips! I also think that it is smart to fix it yourself if you have the time and are prepared to put in some commitment, etc. Then it may depend on whether it is an easier or more difficult case. I think it's good that there are alternatives.
21 September 2018 - 14:58
Ditte says:
Personally, I would never pay for help with delays. It has not happened to us often that we have been delayed, but when it has happened we have received good help on the spot from the airline and organised the rest when we got home. But we quite rarely travel with companies that do not pay. Thinking like Veiken here.
20 September 2018 - 23:36
Helena says:
I'm glad you got good help and have good experience with the airlines you travelled with!
21 September 2018 - 14:58
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29 September 2018 - 15:08