MANCHESTER Airport has been named* as one of the ten worst airports in the UK for flight delays, but do you know how to claim compensation if you’ve been affected?
Using flight data from January 2015 to March 2016, Manchester Airport was ranked as the 3rd highest airport for flight delays in a BBC report*, meaning passengers delayed during this time and beyond could be eligible to claim.
Currently, 95 per cent of passengers who are eligible for compensation don’t currently claim it. To qualify, passengers simply have to have experienced a flight delay by more than three hours in the past six years within the EU.
The travel experts at airFair, the UK’s first flight delay compensation app, have given some top tips to help unhappy passengers claim back money that is rightfully theirs.
Steven Bell, managing director of airFair, said: “Unfortunately, flight delays do happen and this report shows Manchester Airport to be one of the worst offenders in the country. The majority of people, however, do not know that they are eligible and even when they do are not sure how to claim. Airlines have to put money aside for compensation – if you don’t claim what you are owed that money will just be sitting there.”
What are my rights?
EU regulation 261/2004 establishes rules on compensation for passengers in the event of denied boarding, flight cancellations or delayed flights. It applies to all members of the EU and the airlines that reside within them. Any passenger of any age and nationality whose flight departed from an airport which resides in the European Union or was en-route to an EU member state while travelling with an airline operated in the EU is covered by these rules.
How long does my flight have to be delayed for?
The regulation states that if you are delayed by more than three hours that you are eligible for compensation. You can also claim if your flight is cancelled or has been overbooked by the airline.
Does it matter why my flight was delayed?
Put simply, yes. You are entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed for these reasons:
· Staffing problems that are within the airline’s control
· Technical faults
· Poor weather on a previous flight which in turn affected your connecting flight (so called knock-on effect)
· Denied boarding due to an overbooked flight
There are however some circumstances outside of the airlines control, where no compensation will be awarded, these are:
· Industrial action, such as strikes by ground staff and/or air traffic control
· Adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain, snow, storms etc
· Political circumstances, such as terror attacks, political unrest, security risks
· Illness of a crew member or passenger during the flight
· A delay caused by the airport staff, such as long queues during security checks
I am entitled to compensation, how do I claim?
The easiest way to claim for a flight delay is to download the airFair app (free on iOS and Android). Don’t worry if you don’t have a smartphone, it’s just as easy to log onto the website, www.airfair.com, and start your claim there.
Once you have started the claim you can sit back, relax and let us recover the compensation that you are entitled to.
What exactly am I entitled to?
The compensation you are owed is fixed, regardless of your flight cost, The amount of compensation you are entitled to is dependent on the length of your delay and the distance of your flight. You will receive a fixed amount between €250 (around £200) and €600 (around £480) dependent on these variables. This compensation should come on top of other extra entitlements, such as meals and refreshments, and, if applicable, overnight accommodation.
