Know Your Rights:  How We Got $1,200 for our Flight Delay

Brian and I spent a wonderful few weeks in Europe over the Christmas holidays. As we were packing our luggage and preparing to head back home to the USA, we received the news we all dread—our flight was delayed.  Luckily, we were still in our comfortable hotel room and not at the crowded airport 😊

We hopped on the Flighty App and found that the delay was due to a “late aircraft” coming from Newark to Dublin. If you haven’t tried Flighty yet, check it out.  It does a great job of tracking flights and providing clear reasons for delays, which is reassuring to know exactly what was going on.

Since we missed our connection due to the delay, we ended up arriving home about 4 hours later than planned. Obviously, delays are never fun, this one came with a silver lining.

Because we were flying from the EU, we were eligible for compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004, which protects passengers’ rights in the event of delays, cancellations, or being denied boarding. Specifically, the regulation outlines compensation for delays of more than 3 hours—provided the delay isn’t due to extraordinary circumstances like bad weather or safety concerns.

The length of the delay and the distance of the flight determine compensation:

• EUR 250 for flights of 1,500 km or less (with a delay of 3+ hours)
• EUR 400 for flights within the EU over 1,500 km and for flights between 1,500 km and 3,500 km (with a delay of 3+ hours)
• EUR 600 for flights over 3,500 km (with a delay of 4+ hours)

Since our flight was long-haul, we were eligible for EUR 600 each. With both of us getting reimbursed, we ended up with a total of EUR 1,200. I was actually surprised by how quickly the reimbursement came through. I submitted the request to United Global Services, and they got back to me the very next day. We received our checks in about 3 weeks.

On top of the compensation, we were also entitled to meal and hotel vouchers due to the delay. But luckily, we didn’t need to use them.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, be sure to request compensation from the airline. I’ve attached the letter I sent to United Airlines that you can use as a template. Always remember to check your rights as a passenger!

*Note: If you have a flight delay in the U.S., the Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard from the Department of Transportation provides information on airline policies regarding cancellations and compensation.