What you need to know about flight delay compensation Europe. Did you know that you could be entitled to a delayed flight compensation claim? Turn your inconvenience into cash! We were so annoyed when our flight was really late but we made cash out of those hours spent waiting. This is how we turned a €15.90 flight into €260!
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Can you claim any delayed flight, anywhere?
Not all flights are eligible. Anytime you are travelling in Europe and your flight is covered however it does have to fall into the categories below.
- You arrived at your destination more than 3 hours later than planned
- Your flight took off in the EU
- You checked in for your flight on time
- The flight operated no more than 3 years ago
- The airline was responsible for the delay
Our experience
We were delayed over 3 hours on a flight from Bari, Italy to Corfu, Greece. We were there on time and when checking in we were told there was a slight delay and were given a meal voucher. After waiting for over 3 hours with the time continuing to be extended every hour we were exhausted and sleeping on the airport floor. We were flying with Wizz Air and apparently this is not uncommon.
How do I claim my delayed flight?
We used the company AirHelp which made the process so simple. For our Wizz Air flight delayed flight compensation claim we filled out the simple form on their website with the details of the flight and they assessed if we were eligible for a compensation claim. Once we were assessed as eligible we provided AirHelp with further detailed information.
After proceeding we waited to hear from them, they were sending updates via email and finally we heard that our claim was accepted and we would be given our compensation claim! We were sent €250 for both flights. The original flight only cost €15.90!
Can you do this on your own?
Yes, you can definitely put in your own compensation claim, but we found that it was not the simplest of things to do as it was a somewhat confusing and detailed procedure. You can check it out on the website here.
Does AirHelp take a fee?
Yes AirHelp takes a fee if you are paid out, however they do not charge any fee if you do not receive a refund. This is called their No Win, No Fee option. For this option AirHelp takes 35% off the compensation received, at first this seemed like a lot to us…then we tried to do the compensation procedure ourselves. It was really difficult and honestly we were happy for AirHelp to take over and do it for us!
AirHelp Plus Flight Compensation Claim
They also have an option called AirHelp Plus which gives you 100% of 3 flight claims, no other fees charged! All you pay is €24.99 to sign up to their service for a year (signing up prior to travel). If you are regularly taking flights within Europe it is the one I would be taking as you get all the compensation for a very small once off/year fee.
How much can you be paid out with the delayed flight compensation claim?
Basically the compensation claims will follow this table:
What information do you need to sumbit your delayed flight compensation claim?
Make sure to note down all this information so you are ready to make your claim if your flight is over 3 hours delayed in Europe!
- Flight departure and arrival locations and airport names
- Scheduled flight time
- Actual flight departure time
- Scheduled arrival time
- Actual arrival time
- Have you received any compensation such as a meal etc.
- Names and details
Tips to help the process. When you realise that your flight is going to be delayed note down the flight schedule and details. When boarding note down the time you start boarding, take a photo when walking on board or to the plane. This way you have the details stored. Take another photo when you deboard and note down the time of landing.
These details will really help you with your claim. Having the exact times is essential for your claim. This was the most important information we needed for our delayed flight compensation claim with Wizz Air.
I hope this information helps you. We actually didn’t know that this was possible until after our flight delay. It was so exciting when the claim came through, we couldn’t believe it! AirHelp really was a lifesaver for us and recommend the service as it made it so easy.
