Under European Union consumer protection laws, passengers are entitled to compensations for delays, cancellations and getting bumped from a flight.
There are few things more frustrating than navigating the fallout of a delayed, canceled, or overbooked flight, especially when traveling internationally. But if the situation involves a Europe flight, travelers have an additional avenue for obtaining compensation that they may not have realized was available to them; it can ease some of the frustration.
The European Union’s consumer protection regulation, known as “Regulation EC No 261/2004,” is a sweeping legislation that applies to flights within Europe as well as to flights into and out of Europe, regardless of whether the airline is based in the European Union. According to the regulation, which dates back to 2004, if a passenger is denied boarding, their flight is canceled, or a flight is delayed, that person is entitled to various levels of recompense.
Passengers can claim 250 Euros for flights up to 1500 km in distance; 400 Euros for flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km; and 600 Euros for flights that are longer than 3,500 km. For delayed flights, the delay must be two or more hours for flights up to 1500 km, three hours or more for flights between 1500 and 3,500 km, and at least four hours for flights longer than 3,500 km.
Claims for compensation can be made directly through the carrier, such as through a form on website, or there are some intermediary companies, including Airhelp and Flightright, that will seek reimbursement on passengers’ behalf for a fee.