What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled?

Let’s start with the most interesting point.

When you are eligible for flight compensation?

In accordance with EU Regulation 261/2004, a passenger is entitled to 250-600 euros of compensation in case of:

• Flight delay more than 3 hours
• Flight cancellation
• Denied boarding due to overbooking
• Missed connection due to a delay of the first segment (you arrived at your destination more than 3 hours later than planned)
Your flight was within the EU, leaving or arriving EU.

How much money I can get for delayed or canceled flights?

Just click the picture and complete a 1-minute form to get to know, how much money you can get from the company

The only requirement is that your disrupted flight needed to have happened up to six years back.

What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled?

The Airport staff is NOT to blame. Be nice to them!
But you have to claim your rights (google it). For me, it was very useful to know my rights when was canceled my flight within Russia and I stayed in Moscow for 24 hours. I think I was the only one, who got the full hospitality.
Because the company staff didn’t offer it to everyone, but just to those who asked. Sometimes airline companies can be really chitty.
Then let’s see, what you can get:

Delays less than 3 hours:

Unfortunately, these are the most stupid delays, when you can do nothing, but just patiently wait for your flight.

Have a connecting flight (eligible only if the tickets were booked as one trip):

If the delay on your initial flight will cause you to miss your connecting flight let the gate agents know. This is their job and they will book you on an alternate flight. It may be with a different airline.
If your connection isn’t available the same day, they have to provide you the hotel for the night.

Delays over 3 Hours / Cancellations

First of all, the airline has to provide you refreshments & food vouchers and if a delay is overnight you get the hotel. Usually, you need to ask them this.
If your flight is canceled, run to the airline desk or the office. It’s very important to be first in line. Also, you can ask your family members to call the airline office. At this point, the most important thing is to make the company book you another flight. And earlier you do it – more options you get.

How to claim the compensations for the flight delay?

There are companies like KLM or Lufthansa, who automatically send you money after the announcement of the flight delay or cancellation. But there are also many other airlines which don’t want to pay you, even if you write an email, claiming the compensation.

Once I had a flight cancelation with Air Baltic. On my direct claim about the compensation, they answered with a long email, stating that I am not eligible for any money.

What to do in such situations?

After getting this email, I decided to try claim my money with Compensair. I completed the form at Compensair website, describing the situation. And in 2 months by bank transfer, I got my 400 euro compensation from Air Baltic.