Requesting compensation for delayed flight under EU 261/2004
 

Wondering if anyone on this forum has had success requesting compensation from American Airlines under EU 261/2004. Daughter just came back from semester abroad in Europe. She was due to fly home on a United flight that was cancelled the morning of the flight. After much back and forth between United and American, she was able to get on a flight that was due to leave at around the same time as her original flight, except that due to mechanical problems the 2nd flight was delayed by 4+ hours. American Airlines handed out information about the regulation and from my read of the info she may be entitled to about 600 Euros. She sent an email to [email protected] requesting the refund. Anyone know if that is the right address and/or how long it should take to receive a response? Thanks for any info about others experience with this process.

How long ago did she send the information?

She sent it about 2 weeks ago. I am guessing it takes them a while to process, I just have no idea if they even got it or what the expectation should be for a response or if that is even the right email.

She should have gotten a reply email with a case number/tracking number/reference number or the like.

It looks like you have the right email address. However there's a website that has a lot of detail about what the processes and how to go about it if you're denied.

http://travelsort.com/blog/get-ameri...a-flight-delay

Last year my husband was delayed 3.5 hours on a flight originating in Germany to Dulles.
Very soon after he returned he received an email from United apologizing for the delay and telling him they were willing to compensate him with ,I believe, $125 or 1500 miles.
In his name (he does not do fine points) I replied that I feel that the compensation was not adequate according to that rule. You are lucky they provided you with that.

Now. I have to say that when he received the original email it already had a file number.

About three weeks later we received another email upping the compensation to 30,000 miles or more money. But he was not due the highest amount because he was not delayed over four hours. I think it was $400. We decided to take the 30,000 miles.

It was really quite painless.

Under Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, Air Passengers whose flight is delayed or cancelled can claim compensation amount up to 600 € (for more than 3500km), if your flight is delayed for more than 3 hours. For more information you can check this article from ThisIsMoney UK Website: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/h...-261-2004.html

You can claim your money yourself by writing the letter to airlines authority. Claim Letter Template is available on most of the Claiming Compensation Companies. You can check this link: https://www.claimflights.co.uk/fligh...etter-template for the letter template to claim your money from Airlines.

Well good news. My Daughter finally got a response today from American Airlines after she sent a 2nd email to Customer Relations. They offered her one of two options--cash of 600 Euros (about $650 US) or a travel voucher worth $1200 that she can use or a friend or relative can use for future travel. She has the travel bug after her semester abroad so she may take the voucher--of course don't know what if any stipulations/expiration date the voucher may have--so she will likely need to check that out first before she decides. All in all I think this was a fairly decent trade off even if she got home a day later than expected.

She should read the fine print carefully to know any limitations on using the voucher. Frequently, they expire after one year. She is entitled to cold hard cash here, if that's what she wants. I'm sure the airline would rather she take the voucher. ;)

Good to hear you have some satisfaction, and thanks for letting us know. So often we hear on this forum about poor customer service, complaints unresolved, so it's nice to know it can be worth your time to pursue a wrong and get it righted.

Maybe makes sense to take the voucher and use it to purchase a flight even if her plans are uncertain. That way you lock in the extra value, and can always change the flight (for a fee) if her plans change.

Even if she will be traveling I would take the cash. With mergers etc and limitations who knows.

Hi,

This is a tough call with getting compensation however I highly recommend Air Help. We used with a cancellation/delay issue returning from Greece to the USA. Here is more info on what we did to get most of flight ticket purchase compensated - http://battlemountain.co/2015/04/30/...rhelp/#respond

Hope this helps!
Jay