Do you know a staggering 28-30% of the flights in the United States have been delayed so far in 2024? Flight delays or canceled flights are nothing new, but they end up ruining your trip and disrupting the activities that you may have included in your itinerary. Missing your flight due to delay means you have to rebook tickets, change your itinerary, seek refunds, elaborate communications, and deliberations with the airline companies, and whatnot. Is there a way to navigate flight delays or compensation for the US airlines?
Passengers can always claim compensation for every US flight that gets delayed or canceled. The EU261 and UK261 norms and passenger policies for US Airlines provide compensation if your flight gets delayed or canceled. This blog talks about everything you need to know about US flight delay compensation - what it is, how to claim it, the provisions and eligibility, and more. Let’s dive in.
While many American travelers seem unaware of this fact, the European Union and the UK (after Brexit) have very nuanced regulations to protect the passenger rights of those traveling with US Airlines and ensure you can avail yourself of them for all the right flight delay reasons. The EC261 and UK261 regulations ensure that you can claim compensation for US flights that are delayed for over three hours. However, the US flights should be departing from the defined peripheries of the European Union or the UK.
Broadly speaking, EC261 and UK261 rules will cover all flights that leave from any EU/UK airport, regardless of the name of the air carrier. These regulations also cover all flights landing or leaving any EU/UK airports given the air carrier services are based in EU/UK. So, if your flight leaves Frankfurt or Milan and arrives in Paris in the wee hours, or if you arrive in Berlin in the dead of night, you claim flight delay compensation.
| Type of flight | Example | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| British carrier | New York to Berlin with British Airways | Yes |
| EU carrier | Paris to San Francisco with Air France | Yes |
| Non-UK/Non-EU carrier from | Amsterdam to New Jersey | Yes |
| UK | with Delta Airlines | |
| Non-UK/Non-EU to UK | Newark to Tokyo with Southwest Airlines | No |
| Non-EU/UK carrier from non-EU/UK airport | Chicago to Madrid with American Airlines | No |
However, as of the current state, the US guidelines do not mention any special federal laws that mandate airline authorities to provide flight delay compensation to passengers. Unlike the United Kingdom and the European Union, where you can reserve your passenger rights in place, US law does not guarantee its passengers any compensation in case of flight delays or flight cancellations owing to operational inefficiencies. However, DOT’s directives published recently regulate ticket refunds in detail for cases of flight delays and cancellations.
The silver lining has been drawn recently for all traveling US airlines with recent developments in air passenger rights. The current Biden administration has laid down numerous rules to improve consumer rights in the aviation industry. Efforts have been made to introduce severe legal consequences for airlines that treat passengers unrightfully in the event of delays or cancellations and set clear guidelines stating the responsibilities of carriers.
Nonetheless, you may choose to leave the US passenger rights trail since you will anyway have the EC261/UK261 benefits right up your sleeves if you're traveling to or from Europe. You can charge up to:
| Flights within 1500 km | Internal EU flights that go over 1,500 km | Flights: 1,500 - 3,500 km | Flights that go over 3,500 km |
|---|---|---|---|
| ~ €250 (£220) per passenger | ~ €400 per passenger | ~ €400 (£350) per passenger | €600 (£520) |
Here’s when you can claim the above compensation:
However, you cannot claim a compensation if the cancellation or delay occurs due to extraordinary circumstances, like bad weather or political unrest.
If you experience a flight delay or cancellation, here’s what you need to do:
If you are a part of the frequent flyer program for renowned airlines, here are a few more tips to remember.
When traveling within the US region, your rights for flight delays are guided by the Passengers’ Bill of Rights and the airline’s contract of carriage. The Passengers’ Bill was introduced by the US government to ensure generic protection provisions against flight delays and flight cancellations.
According to the Passengers’ Bill of Rights, airlines must assure you all the necessary and accurate information about the status of your flight delay, including reasons for delays or cancellations and the estimated arrival and departure time. However, there’s no compulsion on federal grounds to provide flight delay compensation in the US.
Your rights for international flights may vary significantly based on the rules and regulations of the operating airlines and the destination. For example, if a European airline service happens to operate your flight or is landing at an airport located in the EU, you will be covered entirely by the EC261 provisions. It will offer more substantial compensation, even the total value of tickets, in case of delays and cancellations.
However, if your international flight gets delayed or operated by a US airline service, the Passengers’ Bill of Rights will come into play, but you may not get any benefit under US airline provisions for flight delays.
Flight delay policies largely depend upon the playbook each US airline service has. Some carriers will offer more comprehensive US flight delay compensation and assistance. At the same time, others may avert the US flight cancellation refund entirely and instead convince you to opt for a waiver in exchange for add-ons. Here are the flight delay compensation policies of some of the major US airlines.
United Airlines flight delay compensation includes critical support and services to the affected passenger. In case of significant delays, the carrier will help you rebook on the same airline without incurring additional costs. Also, you will have the scope to rebook on their partner airlines or any other carrier services in agreements for prolonged delays with your airlines, ensuring you can have a better trip.
For delays resulting in a waiting time of more than three hours, the airline will provide meal vouchers or cash to fulfill your dining needs during the haul. In case of overnight delays, United Airlines offers complimentary accommodation to ensure you don’t have to wait at the airport and provides transportation to and from the hotel.
This airline has an escalating compensation framework. The minimum Jet Blue flight delay compensation is $50, which you may get in the form of travel credits if your flight gets delayed for more than three hours. The credit may also get adjusted and rise by another $50 for every added hour. However, the maximum credit you can get is $200 for a delay of six hours or more.
Once you have boarded the carrier, the flight delay compensation framework shifts to a $100 credit for delays between three to five hours. It increases to $175 for flight delays between five to six hours, with a capping of $250 maximum, for a flight that’s delayed more than six hours.
You will also get compensation if your flight is delayed on the ground after arriving. The credits are $50 for a delay of one or two hours. They will increase up to $125 for a delay of two to three hours and up to $200 for a flight delay of three hours or more.
Similar to the policies of other airlines, JetBlue will also help you rebook on other JetBlue flights or partner airlines. Or they will also give you vouchers for refreshments when your flight gets delayed for more than three hours. Additionally, you can avail hotel accommodation for overnight stays and get transportation to travel from and to the airport.
You get a range of assistance, perks, and benefits under American Airlines flight delay compensation rules. This also includes rebooking on the same airline with absolutely no extra charges. Or you can also rebook on partner airlines or other carriers in case of longer hauls, ensuring you have alternative travel arrangements.
Additionally, if you are stuck in a delay of more than three hours on a domestic flight, you will receive meal vouchers or cash and a refund if you don’t want to go for an alternate flight. If you are traveling internationally, you can also request compensation if the flight delay extends beyond six hours.
Also, in case of an overnight delay, American Airlines offers complimentary accommodation in hotels so you can rest comfortably. It will also give complimentary ground transportation to and from the airport.
Your travel journeys are a lot more than fighting for flight delay compensation or flight cancellation refunds. Click2Refund promises to deliver the best-in-class US flight delay compensation support. We will carefully examine your compensation claims, validate and build up reasons, prove your eligibility, provide support documentation, compute the compensation you deserve, and present the most robust case to ensure guaranteed success in getting US flight delay compensation, making it all a breeze.
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Hope this blog helps you understand the intricacies of filing US flight delay compensations and flight cancellation refunds. Navigating the paper trail, dealing with airlines’ rule books smartly, and getting the maximum refunds is no cakewalk. Services like Click2Refund unburden you from this tedious, complex task and do all the hard work for you. Choose us because we ensure:
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