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Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:13 pm
by Mrblobby
My flight was delayed yesterday , we were nearly 6 hours late arriving at our destination airport .

There are a lot of websites claiming they can get you compensation , in our case about £300 each .

Has anyone ever done it , or are they scam sites ?

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:24 pm
by Dominic
Just do it yourself. Don't go through 3rd party websites. What was the reason for the delay?

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:38 pm
by WHL

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:43 pm
by Mrblobby
Dominic wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:24 pm Just do it yourself. Don't go through 3rd party websites. What was the reason for the delay?
Birds , got into engine , so the flight had return to take off field in U.K. A replacement plane was sent bring the passengers down to Paphos .

Re: Flight delay compen

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 3:22 pm
by Jimgym
Might be considered something similar to act of god? Annoying as it is I don’t know if airlines are held responsible for delays due to that but am sure someone on here can clarify. It is easy to claim yourself just google claim form for particular airline. I’ve done it with easyJet and it was very quick and easy.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 3:44 pm
by Lofos-5
My family last year had a Jet2 flight canceled from Paphos to Leeds - Jet2 advised that they are entitled for compensation. We used Bott and Co and got it relatively soon (minus 25% fee). This would not have happened if doing on our own - or maybe not until now.

Bott and Co is a multiple award-winning No Win No Fee solicitors based in Wilmslow, Cheshire with particular expertise in flight delay compensation, holiday sickness and road traffic accident claims.

https://www.bottonline.co.uk/about-us

Their website will hopefully explain whether your case has a chance for a successful compensation claim.

A.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:50 pm
by Lofos-5
mouse wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:23 pm Claim and sue for everything, it's your right ?? But no complaints that premiums have gone up!
Good point Mouse.

When my wife got her compensation it was kind of a bitter-sweet experience - Jet2 did treat them well, placing them into a hotel for a night and offered food vouchers etc. The kids enjoyed their extra day and in a hotel for a change.... may wife still feels bad about the claim (although advised by Jet2 that all passengers have the right for compensation according to EU laws) and said that if she ever would do it again she would donate all to charity...

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 5:29 pm
by J B
Lofos-5 wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 3:44 pm We used Bott and Co and got it relatively soon (minus 25% fee). This would not have happened if doing on our own - or maybe not until now.
We used these folks and were successful.

... but maybe look here first ...

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays/

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:44 pm
by jagwheels
A bit off topic but years ago landed at Paphos & they couldn't open the cargo door. Went out the next day & bought some shorts, razor & toothbrush but wife refused to buy anything. She was offered some knickers by a passenger but declined that as well. Thomas Cook came to our Hotel next day & gave us each £10 which everyone accepted. Moral is to know your rights before travelling

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:05 am
by Dominic
Seriously, you don't need to use a legal firm. Just get the form online and fill it in yourself. Now, as somebody said, it may well be seen as an act of God, but you don't need to use a law or claim firm to find that out.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:36 am
by J B
Dominic wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:05 am Seriously, you don't need to use a legal firm. Just get the form online and fill it in yourself. Now, as somebody said, it may well be seen as an act of God, but you don't need to use a law or claim firm to find that out.
I think it's a bit of a grey area as it wasn't your flight that was affected by the bird strike but the one before and I think that may be the crux of the matter.
Bizarre law really, but if someone is offering you €3/4/500 then it's tempting to accept it :oops:

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 10:58 am
by WHL
jagwheels wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:44 pm A bit off topic but years ago landed at Paphos & they couldn't open the cargo door. Went out the next day & bought some shorts, razor & toothbrush but wife refused to buy anything. She was offered some knickers by a passenger but declined that as well. Thomas Cook came to our Hotel next day & gave us each £10 which everyone accepted. Moral is to know your rights before travelling
Maybe your case was before the laws re compo were brought in?

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:08 pm
by RattyPatty
Why would you sue for something that was not the airlines fault. The airline will recoup it's losses eventually by putting up the ticket price.

We have been delayed twice by four hours on EJ from Gatwick. Once someone was taken ill just before landing and we diverted to Ankara then Athens as we couldn't fly direct to Paphos. Someone was ill. The pilot had to make a decision that affected him an his crew as well as the passengers. Would you prefer it if it was you that was taken ill and he kept on going because of the financial cost to the airline if he delayed the flight.

The second time we were kept on the runway for four hours while waiting for an engine part to be flown in. Fault was only discovered when we're were ready to take off.

A man kept going up and down the plane advising everyone they could sue if we were delayed more than four hours.

Personally I was happy that EJ and the pilot put our safety before finances.

Sue for compensation certainly if you are inconvenienced due to bad service or incompetence but surely not for safety or unavoidable reasons.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 1:04 pm
by PolemIan
My wife has done this several times, it’s very straightforward and most airlines have forms on their web pages. In general I See no reason to pay somebody to fill in forms that take 5 or 10 mins. In this case they may well claim that the incident is outside their control

Ian

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 1:18 pm
by Dominic
RattyPatty wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 12:08 pm Why would you sue for something that was not the airlines fault. The airline will recoup it's losses eventually by putting up the ticket price.

We have been delayed twice by four hours on EJ from Gatwick. Once someone was taken ill just before landing and we diverted to Ankara then Athens as we couldn't fly direct to Paphos. Someone was ill. The pilot had to make a decision that affected him an his crew as well as the passengers. Would you prefer it if it was you that was taken ill and he kept on going because of the financial cost to the airline if he delayed the flight.

The second time we were kept on the runway for four hours while waiting for an engine part to be flown in. Fault was only discovered when we're were ready to take off.

A man kept going up and down the plane advising everyone they could sue if we were delayed more than four hours.

Personally I was happy that EJ and the pilot put our safety before finances.

Sue for compensation certainly if you are inconvenienced due to bad service or incompetence but surely not for safety or unavoidable reasons.
What we are talking about isn't really suing, and you cannot claim for any delay, it is only when the airline is at fault.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 1:28 pm
by trireme
Thomas Cook paid ours,after a two year battle,they maintained that because I could not produce my boarding pass,there was no proof that I had boarded the flight ( who keeps boarding passes ? ) they try every trick in the book,but dig your heels in.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 4:15 pm
by RattyPatty
Dominic, sorry I used the wrong word. I should have used "claim" not "sue". But I still think that making a a claim for something that is not the airlines fault and will probably be dismissed is waste on the airlines time and resources. We will all pay in the end.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 5:51 pm
by galexinda
Likewise also kept boarding passes for a long time, HIC, as several years ago I was in the UK and confirming the return leg of my flight to the West Indies and the computer and lady in the travel agent told me that I could not do so as according to their records I hadn't made the inbound flight - until I produced the boarding pass.

I was recommended by Immigration in Paphos in 2004 to keep the boarding pass I used when I came to live here as proof towards my 90 day residency application. As HIC says not only proof for tax purposes but those thinking of applying for Cypriot citizenship - a boarding pass is a good way of proving when you are in/out of Cyprus. Yes, it is all computerised now, but nothing better than an original document to show the authorities.

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 9:47 pm
by Kili01
I don’t see how anyone could claim for a delay to their flight which was caused by a bird strike. That is something which is caused by a bird in flight which gets sucked into the aircraft engine. This can cause serious damage to the internal workings of a jet engine. It is a flight safety hazard and as such the engine concerned must be checked by an engineer first.
Would anyone want to risk an engine failing in flight?

Dee

Re: Flight delay compensation

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2019 8:00 am
by PolemIan
A good summary of the law in the link from HIC, in this case though it looks like a claim may not be successful if the airline can demonstrate that the sole reason for the delay was the bird strike on the inbound flight. I’m all in favour of claiming when the airline has not done its job properly, but it would seem a bit harsh?


“Sometimes, under EU regulation, flight disruption does not qualify for compensation as the cause behind it was deemed to be an "extraordinary circumstance". This is when it the disruption is out of the airline’s hands, and therefore not their responsibility. These circumstances include, among others:

Unavoidable security risks
Political instability
Airport or airspace closure
Adverse weather conditions
Birds flying into the engine
Strikes”

Requirements:

You have checked in for your flight on time (generally no less than 45 minutes before departure).
You encountered these problems on a flight operated no more than 6 years ago.
The airline is responsible for the delay (e.g. technical fault or sick crew)
The flight took off in the EU (from any airline) or landed in the EU (provided that the airline is headquartered in the EU).
You can claim compensation even if you have travelled with a tour package or had a business trip”