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I was travelling from Kolkata to Delhi and the flight was delayed by an hour or so. I then arrived at Delhi airport and upon arrival I was told that my connecting flight to Birmingham, UK had already taken off. I was told I'd be given accommodation and a new boarding pass for my rescheduled flight. My flight had been rescheduled for the next day. I did not receive an email from the airline until I had arrived at the airport - I had to use my data as the WiFi did not connect. I would not have known.

Not only that but when myself and the rest of the passengers were told this, we were given no place to sit or go and we were shuffled along everywhere in the airport. We were waiting for hours from around 12pm to 10pm the same day to sort out our boarding passes and get us to the hotel (which was an hour away). We were given free dinner and breakfast at the hotel. The next day, we were given a coach ride to the airport and we did the usual thing (checking-in etc). We were then told the flight had been delayed for another six hours. So myself and the others waited another six hours for the original delayed flight. We were given free lunch. We were then left to our own devices until the flight was finally announced. There were at least 2-3 changes of gate. I then arrived at midnight (GMT). Throughout the entire trip I only flew with Air India. The date of original flight was 8/1/15, eventual was 9/1/15.

Under EU Law it states I cannot claim because of the non-EU airline and destinations. I also had a read through the Air India Conditions of Carriage and can't seem to find anything there... please advise me on what I can/cannot do? Oh and the first flight, we were not told about. Purely out of curiosity. Everyone around me who knows about what happened is asking me to find out so I'm seeing what could be done if anything. I am in a long-distance relationship therefore any extra miles or money comes in a lot of use. Thanks.

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    As an American, I thought your flight had been delayed a month. Which would be outrageous
    – Azor Ahai -him-
    Commented Oct 27, 2015 at 15:49
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    It seems like Air India did everything they should have done in the circumstances. I highly doubt you can get any compensation - they paid for your room and board until the next possible flight: what more should be required of them?
    – Matthew Herbst
    Commented Oct 27, 2015 at 18:59

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You don't really cover why the first flight was delayed, so hard to say what exactly is required. If due to weather or other aspects out of their control, they are not really required to give you anything. If an airline caused issue, maintenance, late crews, etc, then what they gave you (rooms, food) is the normal provision.

You can always write a polite letter requesting compensation for your hardships. They may offer a credit towards a future trip or extra mileage on your frequent flyer account. But this is not mandatory and would only be a gesture of goodwill on their part.

The EU rules requiring cash compensation, which were intended as "punishment" for airline operational failures, have instead created money hungry consumers who now expect to get cash for anything that goes wrong.

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