Be Aware of Regulation EU261/2400
Oct 2nd, 2014, 04:32 PM
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Be Aware of Regulation EU261/2400
I have always read about this regulation which compensates people for flight glitches like denied boarding and delayed flights.
My husband's flight was delayed from Munich to Dulles for 224 minutes. The reason given in Munich was that a gauge which indicates engine stability was not functioning. A new part was flown into Munich from Frankfurt. The flight was booked on United with a code share of Lufthansa. No compensation was offered the time of the flight and he missed his connection in Dulles. Luckily he was able to get a later flight and he made it home that night although it was pretty late.
several days after he arrived home he received an apologetic email from United. It apologized for the inconvience and offered compensation of 6200 miles or a $125 voucher on a future United flight.
I felt that he probably qualified under the guidelines of the EU regulation.We sent an email to the Customer Care division of United with the relevant information of the flight and just stated that according to this ruling the compensation they offed was not sufficient.
Today we received an email from United stating that we qualified under the ruling and they offered a $1000 voucher or 30,000 miles. They also said that if we still would like to receive a cash compensation under the ruling we may do so instead of the miles and voucher.
I am posting this because I am thrilled that United stepped up to the plate even though they were required by the law to do so. On the other hand they would have let the ruling slide if I had not called them on it. I think it is very important to know your rights.
There are different facets of the rule and you can Google EU/261-2400. Also you can be compensated for flights in the past.
You can also let companies that handle such things make an appeal for you for a price but I decided to try myself first.
My husband's flight was delayed from Munich to Dulles for 224 minutes. The reason given in Munich was that a gauge which indicates engine stability was not functioning. A new part was flown into Munich from Frankfurt. The flight was booked on United with a code share of Lufthansa. No compensation was offered the time of the flight and he missed his connection in Dulles. Luckily he was able to get a later flight and he made it home that night although it was pretty late.
several days after he arrived home he received an apologetic email from United. It apologized for the inconvience and offered compensation of 6200 miles or a $125 voucher on a future United flight.
I felt that he probably qualified under the guidelines of the EU regulation.We sent an email to the Customer Care division of United with the relevant information of the flight and just stated that according to this ruling the compensation they offed was not sufficient.
Today we received an email from United stating that we qualified under the ruling and they offered a $1000 voucher or 30,000 miles. They also said that if we still would like to receive a cash compensation under the ruling we may do so instead of the miles and voucher.
I am posting this because I am thrilled that United stepped up to the plate even though they were required by the law to do so. On the other hand they would have let the ruling slide if I had not called them on it. I think it is very important to know your rights.
There are different facets of the rule and you can Google EU/261-2400. Also you can be compensated for flights in the past.
You can also let companies that handle such things make an appeal for you for a price but I decided to try myself first.
Oct 3rd, 2014, 04:39 AM
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Also "signature" EU airlines get somewhat reluctant when it's time to cash out the compensation.
You have a dedictated government agency in each member state for appeals, but if you don't have the time and/or nerves to go through it you also have companies offering assistance.
They charge a hefty fee of around 20pct or so, but the advantage is that you can file your claim from anywhere - and they will deal with the rest (including litigation) and you won't hear from them again until they send the money.
I've used that kinda service once, and it took them six months until the airline decided to pay - but they did pay.
But since there is the fee, it's always sensible to file your claim with the airline by your own as a first step.
You have a dedictated government agency in each member state for appeals, but if you don't have the time and/or nerves to go through it you also have companies offering assistance.
They charge a hefty fee of around 20pct or so, but the advantage is that you can file your claim from anywhere - and they will deal with the rest (including litigation) and you won't hear from them again until they send the money.
I've used that kinda service once, and it took them six months until the airline decided to pay - but they did pay.
But since there is the fee, it's always sensible to file your claim with the airline by your own as a first step.
Oct 3rd, 2014, 05:22 AM
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I have read about the rule before but never had the opportunity to use it, thankfully, until now.
Some companies charge about 25% to recover the money and I am reading it takes them at least 100 days. I did read an article on the Elliott blog I get that Refund Me charges 15%.
What I am not sure is the exact amount of monetary compensation as there is a sliding scale. The scale states between 3-4 hours the rebate will be up to Ex. the money is paid in Euro, I believe. So because we are more than three but less than four I am not sure. United is not stating the amount of money just saying they will pay.
Some companies charge about 25% to recover the money and I am reading it takes them at least 100 days. I did read an article on the Elliott blog I get that Refund Me charges 15%.
What I am not sure is the exact amount of monetary compensation as there is a sliding scale. The scale states between 3-4 hours the rebate will be up to Ex. the money is paid in Euro, I believe. So because we are more than three but less than four I am not sure. United is not stating the amount of money just saying they will pay.
Oct 3rd, 2014, 06:52 AM
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I always wished that this type of regulated compensation came with a sliding scale compensation like riding a train without a validated ticket.
One penalty if you voluntarily go swiftly to the ticket inspector and admit the lack of ticket. Hefty penalty if you waited until the ticket inspector came around.
There seems to be no penalty in bluffing to see if the customers flight back. If they don't, they pocket the gain. If not, then they pay what they were supposed to. There is no incentive to compensate as required on first request or even automatically.
Before series of healthcare reforms in the U.S., there was a period when all my health insurance claims were rejected on first submission. I had fight 3 to 28 times for each claim to be get paid. All of them eventually got paid as submitted. Every initial call would start with "It was coded as a non-covered treatment. Oh, wait, it should be. We would reprocess," but they kept postponing until I kept bugging them. So people would say, why did I not change the insurance? When that was all what my company offered, I had no choice but to fight with them.
One penalty if you voluntarily go swiftly to the ticket inspector and admit the lack of ticket. Hefty penalty if you waited until the ticket inspector came around.
There seems to be no penalty in bluffing to see if the customers flight back. If they don't, they pocket the gain. If not, then they pay what they were supposed to. There is no incentive to compensate as required on first request or even automatically.
Before series of healthcare reforms in the U.S., there was a period when all my health insurance claims were rejected on first submission. I had fight 3 to 28 times for each claim to be get paid. All of them eventually got paid as submitted. Every initial call would start with "It was coded as a non-covered treatment. Oh, wait, it should be. We would reprocess," but they kept postponing until I kept bugging them. So people would say, why did I not change the insurance? When that was all what my company offered, I had no choice but to fight with them.
Oct 3rd, 2014, 07:06 AM
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Something to realize is that every one of the 300 plus travelers on that plane were entitled to the compensation. Or almost everyone if they had a seat reservation. I believe that is one of the rules.
I would be curious to know how many received emails from the ticketing airline like we did. Because if we would have accepted the initial offer from United we would not be eligible for any other compensation.
I would be curious to know how many received emails from the ticketing airline like we did. Because if we would have accepted the initial offer from United we would not be eligible for any other compensation.
Oct 3rd, 2014, 09:45 AM
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Thanks for posting and sharing your experience. Unfortunately, greg has a valid point. It's frustrating that companies get away with things like he mentioned.........but in your case, Sher, I'm glad the outcome was good. 
