How many times have you encountered flight delays of over 3 hours which completely washed your plans? Have you ever reached the boarding gate only to know last minute that your flight has been cancelled? It’s frustrating right?
What if I told you that in the EU, you can get compensation for these things, over and above your flight ticket refund?
A couple of months ago, my flight from Marseille to Dubrovnik was cancelled, while I was at the gate. Following this incident, I looked up online at the Flight Compensation Regulation (EC No 261/2004) law. To be honest, I had no hope that this would work and I would be compensated for this flight cancellation. Well….a few weeks ago, I received an unanticipated email with the subject that my claim was approved and the airline accepted to pay 250 Euros to me for this cancellation, on top of the ticket refund. It was a welcome surprise.
Let me take this opportunity to tell you exactly how you can file for this compensation. Chances are that you will take a lot of flights into the EU and within the EU, if you are going to live here for work or studies.
First things first, if you have been denied boarding without proper reasoning, or if your flight within the EU or into the EU has been delayed by over 3 hours or cancelled, keep all the payment receipts that you will get while arranging for your alternate travel plan, unanticipated hotel cost due to cancellation of flight overnight, transport fare receipts, food bills, etc. because as per law, the airline company has to reimburse you fairly for these.
Next, head over to the official EUROPA govt. website to know about your rights.
Use AirAdvisor (my recommendation) for claiming the compensation with the airline. They are quicker to do this than if you were to do it yourself. They did the job properly for me, so I might as well recommend them. I have not been asked by them for the promotion, just in case you were wondering.
Normally, between 250 Euros to 600 Euros is your right to get as compensation depending on the length of the flight route which was delayed or cancelled. So the next time something like this happens, and your travel insurance company creates hassles for you or refuses to pay you or even if you do not have travel insurance, you can use this path in the EU to be compensated.
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