Your trip departure date has arrived, your suitcases are packed, everything is ready, and you head to the airport to take off for a new destination. When you arrive at the airport, unfortunately, everything does not go as planned. You discover with surprise that your outward flight is announced canceled or delayed. What to do? Can you be compensated? Here is a guide for how to get financial compensation for a delayed or canceled flight.
How do I know if a flight is delayed or canceled?
Is your flight on time, delayed, or canceled? The best solution to find out is to inquire directly with the airline that provides the flight. If the status of your flight is changed, it must notify you as soon as possible.
The vast majority of airlines publish the status of their various flights on their website. Just bring your flight number and consult the corresponding section to know your departure time in real-time.
The vast majority of airlines, low cost or not, provide their customers with various means of information to disseminate their flights’ status. They also give the passenger’s telephone call lines dedicated to flight info as well as mobile applications.
You can also rely on airports to inform you. The majority of them have information points where companies are required to inform you about your flight status. Some airports, such as Paris airports, offer a website that broadcasts all flights’ air traffic conditions for the next 24 hours, regardless of the airline.
Flight delays are often announced shortly before the scheduled departure, whether for international or national flights, be careful!
What to do in case of flight delay or cancellation?
Know the reason
First, if your flight has been canceled or delayed, we advise you to determine the reason for the delay or cancellation from the airline. The reasons can be linked to many exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances: force majeure, weather conditions, strike action, technical problem, etc.
Depending on the reason, the airline may be able to take care of you until the next flight, and in any case, it is obliged to explain your rights and the compensation procedures that you may carry out.
Request a replacement flight or request a refund
Canceled flight: in some cases, you can request a replacement flight as soon as possible or request a refund from the airline. To do this, be sure to obtain a document from them indicating the assistance and reimbursement methods for your plane ticket.
The company can also compensate you by offering other means of transport such as the train or a rental car when possible.
Delayed flight: If the delay is significant, the airline company is obliged to assist you, even compensate you. If your flight is delayed by at least 5 hours and you forgo the originally scheduled trip, you should be entitled to a refund from the airline.
Claim basic airport services
If necessary, you can request basic services at the airport (snacks and refreshments, overnight accommodation if the flight is postponed until the next day). Depending on the delay, they must be made available to all passengers and paid for by the airlines.
Claim compensation
You can claim compensation from your airline or your travel insurance in some canceled or delayed flights if you have taken out one.
Important: collect and keep all the evidence and supporting documents. Boarding pass, ticket confirmation, purchase invoice, the reason for flight cancellation or delay, etc., you will be asked to do this when you approach the airline. If you manage to arrive at your final destination despite a delayed flight, be sure to ask for a flight delay certificate.
If your flight is canceled, the main condition for reimbursement is that you have been notified less than 14 days in advance. You can receive a lump sum compensation concerning delayed flights if you arrive at your destination with a significant delay. If you miss your connection due to a long delay or are denied boarding, you can also claim compensation.
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