How do I get compensation for messed-up flights?
Short form: the airline I'm traveling on managed to mess up every leg of my round trip (international trip), ultimately costing me most of a day at each end and also some money for expenses along the way. I'm not interested in vouchers, as I rarely fly and when I do why would I trust this carrier again?
What is the best strategy for obtaining financial compensation? Or is that just the way the world works now and I'm out of luck?
Longer form (per request in comments): they sold me an itinerary that was tighter than they claimed, the first plane was late, they rebooked the missed flight with a two-leg one, the first of those was late, and I arrived about 16 hours late. On the return trip the first flight was delayed 8 hours for a proposed ultimate delay of about 15 hours; I think I have that down to 10 after rebooking but I'm not home yet so we'll see. I will have had about $125 in incidental expenses because of the delay, and the ticket price was about $1700. Airline is Air Canada.
Blog posts with gory details: http://cellio.livejournal.com/930425.html and http://cellio.livejournal.com/931959.html . The urgency alluded to in the latter is a family medical situation that came up just before I was due to leave anyway. (It is only because of that that I got the less-late flight.)
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How do you get compensation from airlines?
First, start with the airline agents at the airport. The airline agents should help provide you with your rights and the process to file for compensation. Next, reach out to the airline's social media team to explain your situation.What happens if an airline refuses to pay compensation?
In the event an airline refuses to acknowledge your claim, you need to seek legal advice or file a complaint with the airport's authority. However, you need to understand the reasons for the denial of the claim. Sometimes the extraordinary circumstances are legitimate.Do airlines compensate?
Bad weather, air traffic delays, mechanical issues and staffing shortages can, and do, often lead to delays and canceled flights. In the United States, airlines are not legally required to compensate passengers when their flight is delayed or canceled, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.What is the compensation for a Cancelled flight?
The amount of flight delay compensation United States travelers can claim varies. There's a maximum of $700 (excluding accommodation and food costs, which airlines may have to cover). But even short delays can incur penalties of $200 or more.HOW TO CLAIM COMPENSATION FOR FLIGHT DELAYS| AIRHELP
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Brett Jordan, Brett Jordan, Ketut Subiyanto, Brett Jordan