Flight delay in excess of three hours?

Robbo on the wing

Just had a right result.
Flew with Thomas Cook, back in summer 2010. Flight delayed overnight.
Thomas Cook put us up in the hotel at Gatwick (Hilton?) and arranged for a new aeroplane to take us the following morning.
Anyway, that plane was also delayed.
To cut a long story short, they have just sent me a cheque for £1380.00
It took a few letters, a bit of research and the threat of court action, but has come at a decent time of the year.

If anyone has flown and arrived at their destination in excess of 3 hours after the planned arrival time, i suggest you get on the link below.
If you need any help, give me a shout.

Time for a beer.

moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays

golfaddick

I was delayed at Jersey airport OVERNIGHT in 1989 due to a BA pilot strike.........got home a day later than planned but got no compo and about 10 years ago I was delayed on my way back from Calgary (the plane having to fly to Vancouver to use up fuel before we could land to change planes) and get home around 8 hours late. Again no compo !!

harveys_gardener

I had a problem where there was announced a delay due to flight problems and they took us to a hotel then said we wouldn't be accomodated because a new plane would be found and arrive in 4 hours but would go to Manchester where we would be bussed to London. I jumped in a taxi and got a seat on another plane which I'd noticed was due to depart soon. I also used the MSE link above but didn't gp for the compo. just the cost of my flight. Eventually got there but again a wait and many mails & threats.

Robbo on the wing

It should be noted that anything pre 2007 is not governed by the EU ruling.

Robbo on the wing

harveys gardener said:

I had a problem where there was announced a delay due to flight problems and they took us to a hotel then said we wouldn't be accomodated because a new plane would be found and arrive in 4 hours but would go to Manchester where we would be bussed to London. I jumped in a taxi and got a seat on another plane which I'd noticed was due to depart soon. I also used the MSE link above but didn't gp for the compo. just the cost of my flight. Eventually got there but again a wait and many mails & threats.

Forget e mails, recorded delivery letters only

AFKABartram

Nice one robbo, fill ya boots !

Robbo on the wing

Thanks. She has...

AFKABartram

Lol

AFKABartram

Should have kept.it quiet !

northstandsteve

#oppurtunistwanker

Robbo on the wing

Opportunist wanker.
I will put the spelling error down to you being on your second pint up the golf club :-)

PrincessFiona

Great result RotW! My Easy jet flight to Barcelona was cancelled in June and we were rebooked on the 'next available flight' which was 2 days later. Unfortunately we still had to pay for 2 nights hotel accommodation which had paid for in advance. The reason for the cancellation was the French air traffic dispute. I made tentative enquiries about trying for some compensation at the time, but drew a blank as it was not the airline's fault.
If anyone knows any different, please let me know!

Hastingsaddick

Once flew back from Bali with Garuda....31 hours it took (early 90's)...probably 10-12 hours over schedule, but I guess a bit late to start complaining.

Robbo on the wing

PrincessFiona said:

Great result RotW! My Easy jet flight to Barcelona was cancelled in June and we were rebooked on the 'next available flight' which was 2 days later. Unfortunately we still had to pay for 2 nights hotel accommodation which had paid for in advance. The reason for the cancellation was the French air traffic dispute. I made tentative enquiries about trying for some compensation at the time, but drew a blank as it was not the airline's fault.
If anyone knows any different, please let me know!

Unfortunately that would be out of the airlines hands, so no claim can be pursued against the airline.
Political unrest and weather don't count. I guess the strike would comes under political unrest?
See under "the right to compensation does not apply"
ecc.fi/en-GB/travel/delay/

PrincessFiona

Thought so Robbo

O-Randy-Hunt

Me and the missus flew with monarch to florida about 3 years ago. As we left for the airport we looked to see if the flight was on time only to find we had a 10 hour delay.

We were told to turn up and check in still but go home and come back later. We came back and were still sitting around for hours.

Reason being the original plane had a cracked windscreen and they had to either get another one out to us of get the windscreen fixed which takes about 10 hours.

Was supposed to get there in the afternoon but ended up there the next morning. Might see if I've got a chance of anything.

randy andy

Just contacted BA. Had a flight in January where they cancelled it with us sitting on the plane halfway between the gate and the runway. They pontificated for 2.5 hours, with us sitting on the plane, about whether to return to the gate or not. If they had made the call earlier they could have got another plane, but by the time they made the decision it was then too late to fly as we wouldn't get to Philadelphia before it closed for the night, so ended up flying out the following day, a total of 19 hours of delay.

JiMMy 85

Jesus wept. In 2008 we spent 12 hours in Vilnius airport playing cards (it's smaller than my bedroom). We'd tried to take off but they abandoned it after the first attempt! What's the statute of limitations on this stuff!?

MrLargo

JiMMy 85 said:

Jesus wept. In 2008 we spent 12 hours in Vilnius airport playing cards (it's smaller than my bedroom). We'd tried to take off but they abandoned it after the first attempt! What's the statute of limitations on this stuff!?

The time limit is 6 years from the date of the flight, so you'd still be alright to make a claim if you've still got your booking documentation. See link for further info:
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2211&pageid=14023

rikofold

Why did it take so long? I got delayed by an overbooked Emirates flight out of Riyadh a few years ago. Several hours wait and an indirect flight later we were handed claim forms on the plane and I had £700 in my pocket before I even left Gatwick.

EDIT: A get out for the airlines is a technical fault, but this is pretty well scrutinised. I was put up overnight and fed by the airline when a flight out of Inverness was cancelled, got the first one the following morning but no compensation because of the fault. I guess this is right, you don't want your airline to be ignoring faults to avoid the compensation do you.

cafcfan

rikofold said:

Why did it take so long? I got delayed by an overbooked Emirates flight out of Riyadh a few years ago. Several hours wait and an indirect flight later we were handed claim forms on the plane and I had £700 in my pocket before I even left Gatwick.

EDIT: A get out for the airlines is a technical fault, but this is pretty well scrutinised. I was put up overnight and fed by the airline when a flight out of Inverness was cancelled, got the first one the following morning but no compensation because of the fault. I guess this is right, you don't want your airline to be ignoring faults to avoid the compensation do you.

I think the actual get out is "exceptional circumstances". But a fault with the plane is not of itself an exceptional circumstance. Particularly if it's a part you'd expect the airline to have a readily available spare for and a quick fit. It has to be a "hidden part" or a failure before the anticipated end of life of the part. Poor maintenance is not an excuse.
Missed a Virgin flight from Newark once because a door fell off the connecting Continental flight from New Orleans which was then cancelled. (Thankfully!) Although the flights were not booked together, Virgin were as good as gold and got us on to a flight the following morning (which they were under no obligation to do as it was not a refundable ticket). While Continental paid for the hotel overnight at Newark and also offered to get us on one of their flights across the Atlantic which we declined. Of course the internal US flight didn't come within the ambit of the EU regs on compo.

quintusboss

Was on a UN flight from Dubai to Kabul once, when the pilot cheerfully told us he had some good news and bad news. Bad news first, "we have an engine problem and can't make it to Kabul", the GOOD news, "we are going to Kandahar for repairs instead". We all looked at each other, puzzling over how being stranded in Kandahar could possibly be good news!!!!

Dizzle

Pretty much exact story as Robbo a few years ago, delayed on route to Cuba. Delayed overnight so they put us up in the hotel in Gatwick, this was after taking off and then turning around. Delayed the next day on the new flight. Then the new plane had problems and could not take off. Eventually arrived almost two days later due to the time difference.

I received £80 for that

Rizzo

My company paid out something in the order of £300k for claims resulting from the Iceland volcano a few years back. I then used the EU regulations to go back to the airlines and get about half of that back. Pretty much every airline agreed to pay according to the EU regs. I'll give you one guess which airline refused.

Chris_from_Sidcup

Rizzo said:

My company paid out something in the order of £300k for claims resulting from the Iceland volcano a few years back. I then used the EU regulations to go back to the airlines and get about half of that back. Pretty much every airline agreed to pay according to the EU regs. I'll give you one guess which airline refused.

Are they Irish by any chance?

Rizzo

Chris_from_Sidcup said:

Rizzo said:

My company paid out something in the order of £300k for claims resulting from the Iceland volcano a few years back. I then used the EU regulations to go back to the airlines and get about half of that back. Pretty much every airline agreed to pay according to the EU regs. I'll give you one guess which airline refused.

Are they Irish by any chance?

Extremely.

tangoflash

Slightly off topic, my neighbours daughter got married a couple of months ago and when they got to the airport for their honeymoon, the flight was over-booked. They were offered (on the spot) to be put up in a hotel until the following days flight and given free flights to Abu daibi (I think) plus 2 weeks full board in a top hotel, for a time of their choosing, which they were happy to accept...........

Rizzo

tangoflash said:

Slightly off topic, my neighbours daughter got married a couple of months ago and when they got to the airport for their honeymoon, the flight was over-booked. They were offered (on the spot) to be put up in a hotel until the following days flight and given free flights to Abu daibi (I think) plus 2 weeks full board in a top hotel, for a time of their choosing, which they were happy to accept...........

All airlines overbook flights knowing that there will almost always be people who simply don't show up. Every now and then though, everyone does show up meaning that there aren't enough seats available. The airline will then ask for volunteers to be bumped from the flight, usually offering very good compensation as a result -such as the deal offered to your neighbours daughter.

tangoflash

Never bloody happens to me though........ :-(

Robbo on the wing

The thing is you don't even need to know your original booking reference.
They will initially say you cannot claim without a reference, but under the freedom of information act, they have to provide it.
Don't be fobbed of with a faulty component on the plane. Ask for the full report.

Robbo on the wing

O-Randy-Hunt said:

Me and the missus flew with monarch to florida about 3 years ago. As we left for the airport we looked to see if the flight was on time only to find we had a 10 hour delay.

We were told to turn up and check in still but go home and come back later. We came back and were still sitting around for hours.

Reason being the original plane had a cracked windscreen and they had to either get another one out to us of get the windscreen fixed which takes about 10 hours.

Was supposed to get there in the afternoon but ended up there the next morning. Might see if I've got a chance of anything.

Ask for proof