How To Get Airline Compensation For Canceled Flights

After your excitement in planning the next big trip for a week of planning and excitement, the worst happens as hey suddenly announces that your flight is cancelled. Have you gone through these frustrating situations? I’m sure many of you have! 

Despite the apparent reason being inclement weather or for many reasons for safety which is a good thing, but the bad news is the airline often cancel flights in anticipation of worse weather beforehand.

You don’t want your hard-earned money go in flames, let’s see if you are eligible for compensation or not in this article.  

What is Flight Cancellation? What To Do When My Flight is Cancelled?

Sometimes your trip can go awry with air travel leading to the cancellation of flights. A flight cancellation happens when the airline refrains from operating the flight at all for any reason.

Fortunately, there are some best things to do when your flight is delayed or cancelled flights altogether. Do remember that the flight which takes off before you arrive is not deemed to be cancelled. 

As a first step call the airline immediately and request them to book another flight. Then know for what reason the flight is cancelled because you might be entitled to receive an accommodation voucher if it was for some issues with aeroplane equipment.

Also, read the worlds top ten airports in 2019.

How Can I Get The Compensation if My Flight is cancelled?

According to flight cancellation rights, you have the legal right to get a complete refund or a replacement flight to get you to your designated destination — also a new ticket to your desired designation at a later date according to the availability. There is a company called Airhelp which help you compensation for your flight delay or cancellation. 

You can also be eligible for compensation as much as 510 pounds. You’re entitled to receive a number of perks and benefits depending upon your flight details.  

When Am I Eligible to Claim The Compensation For my Cancelled Flight?

According to EC261 rule on EU flights,  passengers must be paid up to 600 pounds as compensation for cancelled flights. 

You are not eligible for the compensation if the flight is cancelled due to weather disruption which is beyond the airline’s control, and if the airline had already informed you about the delay 14 days ago. 

If your boarding in the U.S or Europe is denied, you will get the refund for confirmed reservations.

9  Things You Must do When Your Flight is Cancelled?

Although travellers dread to hear that their flight has been delayed or cancelled, here’s what you can do if that is the announcement.

1. Keep your boarding pass and other travel documents safe.
2. Call the airline and ask the reason why it was cancelled.
3. Request them to rebook you to another flight or for a refund.
4. Request for amenity kit if you are stranded for the night.
5. Be aware of the arrival time at your final destination.
6. Do not sign anything that can possibly waive your flight cancellation rights as a passenger.
7. Request for a hotel room.
8. Safeguard your receipts if the cancelled flights cost you extra money.
9. Check if your flight cancellation is entitled to receive compensation.

Also read,  Are you feeling demotivated? And start loosing yourself? Learn how you can find yourself again | Some interesting facts and remedies.

Airline rules you must know for delayed flights in 2020

It is frustrating when a flight that you have booked has been cancelled or delayed by the airlines. It could upset your business or holiday plans. The good news is that the European Union (EU) has framed certain aviation laws that entitle you to get compensation when your flight has been delayed or cancelled by the airlines. 

There is a hitch, however. You cannot get compensation under two circumstances. They are:

If your flight has been delayed only by a few minutes

Your flight needs to be delayed at least by 30 minutes in order for you to get compensation. Any duration less than that and you will not be entitled to receive compensation. 

If your flight has been delayed or cancelled due to “extraordinary circumstances”

The exact definition of “extraordinary circumstance” has not been given in the EU aviation laws as there have been a lot of court cases regarding that but it generally refers to events that are beyond the control of the airlines like very bad weather, hidden manufacturing defects in the aircraft’s components, terrorist attacks, etcetera. 

Things like technical glitches in the aircraft’s engine and early failure of an aircraft component were declared not as “extraordinary circumstances” by the English Court of Appeal in June 2014. 

The amount of compensation you get for flight delays or cancellations depends on the amount of time your flight has been delayed and the distance of your journey. 

Long-haul flights that have been delayed by a lot of time or cancelled entitle you to receive the maximum amount of compensation while short-haul flights that have been delayed by 30 minutes or so or cancelled only entitle you to receive minimal amounts of compensation.

Also read, 23 Ways To Make Long Flights Less Miserable

Do you know what is the flight cancellation rights? If not, let’s find out.

If your airlines have cancelled your flight, you are eligible to get different amounts of refund, depending on the circumstances. Let us see what they are below. To be eligible for compensation under EU aviation laws, your flight should have:

• Departed from the EU, the UK, or countries like Iceland, Norway, or Switzerland.
• If it was a European airline that landed in the EU, UK, Norway or Switzerland. The place of departure doesn’t matter. 

If your airlines have been delayed by more than 30 minutes, it should give you:

• Food and drinks at the airport lounge. 
• Internet and mobile network access at the airport lounge.
• Accommodation, if your flight has been delayed overnight and cab rides between the airport and the hotel and vice versa. 

You are eligible for a full refund depending on the distance of your journey and the amount of time your flight has been delayed. The table given below shows the circumstances under which you’ll be eligible for a full refund under EU’s aviation laws.

 You are entitled to receive limited amounts of compensation if you had booked a Non-European airlines and you were flying to a non-Europen country from the EU under the following circumstances. 

If your flight has been delayed by 5 hours or more, the flight gets automatically cancelled. In that case, you will get a full refund on your onward ticket. 

If you had booked a return ticket with the same airlines within 2 days of the onward journey, the return ticket too will get automatically cancelled and you will get a full refund on the return ticket as well.

What kind of circumstances do people face when the flight is cancelled?

People face a lot of inconveniences when their flights get cancelled. Some of them are: 

• Upsetting of their business or holiday plans.
• Going through the ordeal of getting a refund from their airlines. 
• The trouble of having to book other flight tickets (airlines may become full at that time).
• Wastage of their time and money. 
• Negative emotions like disappointment, anger, and frustration. 

What do people think about flight cancellation and compensation? According to internet research and people’s review.

As far as flight cancellations and ticket refunds are concerned, people feel the following things:

• The refund policies and their implementation have become better than they were a decade ago but can still be improved.
• Airlines have become better at letting their passengers know in advance about flight delays and cancellations.
• Apps like Flight Stats and Flight Aware have been developed that let passengers track the status of their flight. Passengers find these apps very convenient. 
• Passengers are able to contact the airlines directly now to get a refund for the cancellation of their flights or to inquire about their delays. They don’t have to stand in queue like before to know the reason or to get a refund.
• If their flights are delayed by 5 hours or more, their tickets get automatically canceled and they get a full refund by their respective airlines. 

Also read,  The Ultimate List of Emotions To Better Understand Yourself And Others- According to a Study

 FAQ’s 

What are the criteria for re-routing cancelled flights?

Yes, if the airline has already sent you a notice 14 days before you won’t be eligible for compensation, on the other hand, if it was before 7-13 days then re-routing requirements will be met. 

When are passengers not entitled to get flight cancellation compensation?

When there are some unchangeable circumstances like lightning strikes, strikes from airport employees, air traffic issues,  malfunctioning of the airport radar, adverse weather conditions, political situations and unrest etc., you won’t be able to claim for compensation.

What kind of technical snags come under “extraordinary circumstances” according to EU’s aviation laws?

Hidden manufacturing defects in the aircraft’s components and damage to the aircraft’s components due to terrorist attacks come under “extraordinary circumstances” according to EU’s aviation laws. 

How much time does an airline have to give its passengers a refund if it cancels a flight?

If an airline cancels its passengers’ flight tickets, it has to refund the full ticket amount within seven days of the cancellation.