A flight delay or cancellation can create unexpected expenses even when the airline eventually gets you to your destination. Spending a couple of more hours at the airport would mean you spending more on meals, refreshments and other essentials.
A longer delay, especially one where you might have to stay overnight, can create additional accommodation and transport expenditure which you might not have taken into consideration. While an airline provider can provide you with various reasons for the delay, not every expense caused by flight delay is automatically the airline’s responsibility.
Knowing your passenger-rights rules can help in understanding the difference between what expenses can be claimed and which ones cannot.
Which Flight Delay Expenses Can You Claim Back?
The longer you stay at the airport, the more likely you are to end up spending more money. This is because while you are awaiting answers from your airline company, you end up spending on meals and refreshments. A qualifying delay allows you to claim back these costs while you are at the airport.
If the airline delay extends beyond a couple of hours and an overnight stay becomes necessary, you are also qualified to claim back hotel accommodation costs. Additionally, transport between the airport and hotel can also be claimed.
Similarly, reasonable communication costs, where applicable under the rules covering your journey, can be claimed.
What If the Airline Doesn’t Arrange These for You?
Flight delays and cancellations are caused for various reasons, and there can be instances where an airline may not directly provide the meal, hotel or transport cost even during a qualifying delay. In this situation, you may have to make reasonable arrangements yourself and seek reimbursement later.
However, there are certain things that you have to keep in mind to help you reimburse your expenses. The most important thing is that you keep itemised receipts for everything you spend. These receipts provide evidence of the actual costs incurred.
During a longer delay where you have to find accommodation, choose a reasonable hotel and meal proportionate to the circumstances. Under most passenger-rights guidelines, airlines are generally expected to reimburse only reasonable expenses incurred as a result of the disruption. Do not treat the delay as an opportunity to treat yourself and pick luxury hotels and meals.
Always keep all notifications and communications regarding the delay showing that the airline was aware of the disruption. Lastly, do not assume that since your airline was responsible for the delay, they will reimburse everything. The expense still needs to fall within the applicable passenger-rights rules and be considered reasonable.
Can You Claim Losses Beyond Immediate Expenses?
While an unexpected flight delay can add to your expenses like meals, accommodation and transport costs, there are other financial losses that might not be included as reimbursement. This would include the cost of a connecting flight from another airport, a prepaid hotel, a car rental cost, attraction ticket and booking cost.
A flight delay can eventually affect your itinerary and lead to you losing out on these costs. From a business perspective, a delayed flight or cancellation would lead to you missing an important business meeting or event, leading to business loss.
Hence, you need to make a clear distinction between reasonable expenses incurred while you were at the airport waiting for your delayed flight and the wider consequential losses caused by the disruption. This is where travellers should avoid assuming that every financial consequence of a delay becomes an airline claim.
Can You Claim Compensation as Well as Expenses?
Airline companies may reimburse your reasonable meal or accommodation cost, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re entitled to receive compensation you may separately qualify for. Compensation depends on the passenger-rights rules covering your journey and the circumstances of the disruption.
If the delay eventually becomes a cancellation, there are different passenger-rights provisions that may apply based on circumstances. AirHelp can help you with flight cancellation compensation by checking those circumstances and whether you qualify for compensation.
However, it is essential that you keep communication clear with the airline company, keep receipts and distinguish immediate expenses from wider consequential losses to help you make the right decision.