Flight Delay Compensation: How To Get Compensated For A Delayed Flight (2024)

Flight delay compensation is reimbursem*nt that airlines or insurance may provide to passengers for flight delays beyond a certain threshold. There are multiple factors involved in calculating compensation, ranging from duration of delay, distance of your flight and the reasons for the disruption, but it is always a good idea to understand what is covered under all of the options available to you and under what circ*mstances you can claim compensation.

There are several factors to consider when figuring out how much you’re entitled to in the way of compensation for a delayed flight. Some airlines voluntarily offer vouchers for meals and accommodation—sometimes even when they’re not required to—but, in other cases, they may not offer anything at all.

Depending on factors like delay length, departure and destination and whether you have insurance coverage through an individual policy or your credit card, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. However, your plan may have limits so be sure to review the terms before incurring any expenses.

Several credit card issuers provide card members some sort of trip delay insurance. While the coverage amounts and the length of delay required to qualify vary from card to card, there are some concepts that are consistent.

To be eligible for trip delay compensation, you must make the purchase with your credit card and your travels need to be disrupted for a certain, stipulated amount of time. If your delay qualifies for coverage, this insurance will offer reimbursem*nt for reasonable expenses incurred as a consequence of the delay, which can include meals, hotel stays, toiletries or other necessary purchases up to the total coverage amount.

The European Union introduced legislation to protect passengers facing delays, cancellations and other issues that may arise when traveling. EU 261 is the regulation establishing the minimum coverage that airlines are mandated to provide in the way of compensation for travelers. Since this is a European Union regulation, there are some restrictions as to when a passenger can take advantage of it. This regulation applies to the 27 EU member countries and their territories, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

European Union (EU) air passenger rights apply to the following flight scenarios:

• Flights within the EU whether operated by an EU or non-EU airline
• Flights arriving in the European Union and operated by an EU airline
• Flights departing the European Union regardless of the airline

It is worth noting that if you have received any compensation from either the airline or any other entity from a non-EU country, you are not eligible to receive EU 261 coverage compensation.

Flights departing the European Union and arriving in the U.S. are also encompassed within these protections, including those with connecting flights (even if they are on non-European carriers) as long as they are booked through an EU airline in the same itinerary.

Delayed Departures

You are entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed for the following durations:

• A delay of two hours or more for a flight of 1,500 kilometers (about 932 miles) or less
• A delay of three hours or more for intra-EU flights of more than 1,500 km
• Any flight between 1,500 and 3,500 km
• A delay of four hours or more for any flight

If the expected departure is scheduled for the next calendar day, passengers are entitled to receive hotel accommodations and transport to and from the hotel and airport. If the airline does not provide this free of charge, you are entitled to reimbursem*nt by the airline.

Delayed Arrivals

Unless the delay is due to extraordinary circ*mstances (like adverse weather, security risks, political instability, etc), you will be entitled to compensation if your flight arrives at your destination three or more hours later than scheduled. The longer your flight, the more compensation you will be entitled to.

Unlike most other protections, EU 261 forces airlines to compensate you for delays and not for damages, meaning that you do not need to present hotel reservation or meal receipts to have them reimbursed.

The Montreal Convention is an international treaty signed by over 130 countries including the United States and most of Europe. This agreement establishes protections for passengers and dictates how airlines are required to handle flight delays and cancellations.

Being an international treaty, the Montreal Convention only kicks in when flying internationally and at least one of the countries is a participating member.

This convention states that passengers are entitled to compensation for damages incurred from reasonable expenses caused by flight delays, provided the passenger wasn’t negligent in their actions—like missing your flight because you stuck around in the airline lounge too long. You will be required to keep receipts for all expenses incurred as part of this delay to claim reimbursem*nt, and you will receive no compensation beyond that.

The maximum compensation amount is also set by the Convention and calculated by the International Monetary Fund using Special Drawing Rights—an international reserve asset and currency basket of sorts—to determine the maximum amount of compensation passengers are entitled to.

If you do not have access to trip delay coverage through your credit card, or your trip isn’t covered under EU 261 or the Montreal Convention protections, there are multiple insurance companies offering trip delay coverage through standalone insurance plans.

While coverage amounts and covered reasons vary from one provider to the next, they all offer to cover your reasonably incurred expenses after a set amount of time for pre-established causes, much in the same way the coverage through credit card insurance does. Most plans have a per day maximum covered amount and a total maximum limit per person. Commonly covered expenses range from hotel stays, meals, transportation and other necessities.

Like with most trip delay insurance, keep all of your receipts for purchases you intend to be reimbursed for as well as documentation regarding your delay. As a best practice, it’s a good idea to keep in mind what the daily and total covered amounts are so you don’t accidentally exceed them and end up going out of pocket on non-reimbursable amounts.

If you are initiating a claim through your credit card, the first thing to do is reach out to the card issuer to get the claim started. Each credit card will have its own process, but they are all similar in that you will need to collect receipts to get reimbursed on as well as documentation to prove the disruption to your travel plans.

For claims filed under EU 261 or the Montreal Convention, you will have to contact the airline directly. Each airline will have its own process but most will ask for items ranging from original itinerary, proof of disruption and receipts to prove the expenses you’re seeking reimbursem*nt for.

The amount of time it takes to receive compensation is, unfortunately, highly variable and unpredictable. Depending on whether you’re leveraging your credit card, filing the claim under EU 261 or the Montreal Convention and which insurance company the claim is going through, your results will vary.

The most important factor is to file your claim within the specified timeframe. Some of these benefits will be honored only if you present your claim in addition to the required supporting documentation within the coverage time frame. If not, you risk your claim being automatically denied just for filing it too late.

The amount of compensation you can claim varies widely from country to country, airline to airline. Some airlines will be generous automatically but expect a fight from others. Knowing your rights is important to make sure that you’re not out money from a delay that you had no issue in causing.

Before you head out on your vacation, prepare for the event as if you will be delayed. That way, in the event of a delay, you can readily present your case to the airport or airline representative and streamline the process for optimal results.