International flights are opening up again. Slowly but steadily. And in the coming months hopefully more travelers would look forward to soaring high in the air for a holiday. It’s time to feel happy. But with happiness also comes the worry at times. What if any flight in my itinerary gets cancelled or delayed? It’s a lot of hassle, loss of valuable time and money. But that’s not in our control. Therefore if it does happen, here is how to get paid for flight sufferings.
Our Own Story
Our SAS direct flight was from Turku Airport in Finland to Stockholm departing at 8.30 AM local time. And the 50 min flight was scheduled to land at Stockholm Arlanda at 8.20 AM local Swedish time. The ticket cost was € 250 for the two of us booked through OneTravel including a travel insurance for € 19. We had woken up early and took a cab to the airport and reached by 6.30 AM.
The trauma started soon thereafter when we were informed that the flight had been cancelled. But what is the alternate arrangement that you are making, I inquired with the girl at the airlines counter. “Sir we are issuing you three boarding passes right now and you would be taking 3 connecting flights to reach Stockholm. Turku-Helsinki, Helsinki-Tallinn & Tallinn to Stockholm. The flight from here leaves at 10.45 AM. And here are your refreshment vouchers for “Turku Cafe” which is right there on your left’.
Hate to leave Turku? The board on the left flashed. We had loved Turku a lot but really hated the prospect of a 4 hour long wait at the airport for our 10.45 AM flight. Had our refreshment and then dozed off to kill some time before finally boarding our flight at 10.15 AM.
Flight cancellations & delays – Air Passenger Rights
Although millions of air passengers travel each year, many are not aware that there are air passenger rights to protect them when they avail these flights.
EC 261/2004 a regulation in EU law that favors the passenger and holds airlines financially accountable for flight delays and cancellations. And this rule is not applicable only for European travelers. In fact all passengers departing from a European airport are covered under EC 261. Also, passengers flying into Europe from other worldwide destinations may be covered as well under certain circumstances.
However, US laws regarding passenger rights when flights are delayed or canceled are not as extensive as European or international laws. US laws are however beneficial to individuals who are denied boarding, passengers experiencing tarmac delays or for travelers facing luggage problems. If boarding is denied due to overbooking in the US, one could be entitled to up to $1,350 compensation.
The 2003 Montreal Convention specifies passenger rights for several types of flight disruption: delays, flight cancellations or boarding denials. All expenses incurred due to such air travel problems, can get reimbursed. But in such cases it is necessary to provide documentation of the incident and proof of added expenses. Hence you must hold onto your receipts.
How to get paid for flight sufferings – Buy Flight Insurance
It’s advisable to buy a flight insurance cover, but at approximate 8% of ticket cost you may feel it is avoidable. However that is completely at your discretion. But do ensure that you buy the cover for flights originating from smaller airports where the number of flight connections are limited.
For our 20 day Scandinavia holiday this was the only flight insurance I had purchased. Rest of the flights were from Gothenburg, Bergen and Copenhagen, all larger airports. And as it turned out, this was the only flight of ours which got cancelled and subsequently rescheduled. We received $100 from OneTravel for our flight disruption as per terms of agreement. Hence do remember to keep all documents with you without misplacing them.
How to get paid for flight sufferings – Air Help
Two years after our cancelled flight and our receipt of flight insurance benefits, I received a mail from AirHelp. It’s a claims management company that enforces passenger rights against airlines in cases of flight disruptions. AirHelp is also known for publishing annual rankings of airports and airlines.
They had tracked my SAS Turku-Stockholm flight disruption and requested me to scan and forward all relevant documents. Would you believe it? I received € 325 after deduction of their charges within a span of 15 days.
Check out AirHelp Essential & Complete annual subscription plans as well where no charges are deducted and you receive the complete compensation amount. Plus many other benefits including Real Time Advice, Airport Lounge Access, Online Doctor’s Appointment and more.
So if you have a delayed or cancelled flight, get up to $700 per passenger for flights from the last 3 years and celebrate.
This post is a recommendation based on our excellent personal experience with AirHelp. However ‘Travels With Passion’ takes no responsibility for any services rendered to you by AirHelp, as your own circumstances and documentation may determine the outcome.
For claiming flight compensation & benefits, PIN this post for later!
