165 votes

Norwegian refuses EU delay (4.7 hours) compensation because it turned out there was nothing wrong with the aircraft

If you strip away all the misdirection, the airline's denial can be paraphrased as: An inspection was conducted. The aircraft passed the inspection. and This was an extraordinary circumstance. If ...
  • 966
152 votes
Accepted

Norwegian refuses EU delay (4.7 hours) compensation because it turned out there was nothing wrong with the aircraft

The refusal is logically fallacious, and it misrepresents the Van der Lans case on which it relies. Let's pick it apart: Misleading claim about the case They claim that the Van der Lans decision ...
  • 125k
136 votes
Accepted

Did I opt out of compensation by accepting meal vouchers?

You were given meal vouchers because the EU air passenger rights regulations require the airline to provide "meals and refreshments in a reasonable relation to the waiting time" (regulation 261/2004, ...
112 votes
Accepted

Denied boarding although I have proper visa and documentation. To whom should I make a complaint?

In a comment, you wrote that Ryanair said "People checks during boarding are not our staff, ask to the Airport". I don't think that's correct. You are right. Even if the person was employed by ...
  • 125k
83 votes
Accepted

Flight departed from the gate 5 min before scheduled departure time. Refund options

If you check your ticket, it will say something like 'all passenger must be at the gate and ready to board x minutes before the scheduled time, or they forfeit their flight'. I have seen times ...
  • 28.4k
72 votes

TSA broke a lock for which they have a master key. How can I claim compensation?

Note (from Yale): TSA Security Officers inspect more than 2 million pieces of baggage every day. It is faster and easier for them to open your Travel Sentry locks using their special Travel ...
  • 28.3k
69 votes
Accepted

Airbnb housing gone electrifyingly bad

Contact AirBnB support directly, do not wait. Ask them to help you move to another apartment. Also ask for compensation. Anecdotal: There was a major water problem at an apartment my parents rented ...
  • 14.6k
57 votes

How would the airline carrier compensate if the change in flight schedule breaks my entire itinerary?

I'm afraid that, because you booked your Air Italy and Ryanair flights separately, your connections are not the airline's concern. Air Italy is obliged to offer you a choice between alternative ...
  • 97.8k
51 votes

What happens if a passenger wants to get off the plane during a runway delay because it ruins their travel plans completely

(From your mention of FAA I assume you are interested in the United States. Rules in other parts of the world may be different.) Yes, the US Transportation Department has specific regulations for &...
48 votes

Who compensates my UK train ticket when the train in the ticket didn't exist?

After a little bit of digging, it looks like the problem you ran in to was indeed the responsibility of Southern Railways. Hidden on the relevant National Rail engineering works page it states ...
  • 2,707
47 votes
Accepted

Am I entitled to compensation after flight delay due to aircraft problem blamed on a "hidden defect"?

In summary. A special exception to the usual right to compensation was created by a recent ECJ judgment, where it considered hypothetically that ‘hidden manufacturing defects’ might be exceptional ...
  • 37k
45 votes

Norwegian refuses EU delay (4.7 hours) compensation because it turned out there was nothing wrong with the aircraft

IANAL, but my understanding of the situation is that they're using some really selective and literal reading of the van der Lans judgment to try to make you go away. As the EU website on passenger ...
  • 5,317
44 votes
Accepted

Remedies when bus company makes me miss a flight

There are no remedies. Greyhound's terms and conditions explicitly disclaim liability for delays: In no event shall carrier be liable for consequential or incidental damages for loss, damage or ...
40 votes
Accepted

EU compensation - fire alarm at the Flight Crew's hotel

The courts (up to and including the European Court of Justice, which has the final say) have followed a slightly zig-zagging course in interpreting the "extraordinary circumstances" concept, so it is ...
36 votes

If an airline erroneously refuses to check in a passenger on the grounds of incomplete paperwork (eg visa), is the passenger entitled to compensation?

For flights originating from or destined for the EU, the Flight Compensation Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 261/2004) provides for compulsory compensation from airlines which deny boarding. It cannot ...
  • 1,992
35 votes

Denied entry to Japan (no visa) but Airline let me board

As a general practice, making sure you are admissible in destination country is your responsibility. Airlines usually verify closely, as they have to transport you back to your origin (or your home ...
  • 13.7k
33 votes

TSA broke a lock for which they have a master key. How can I claim compensation?

The only online mechanism for filing claims is through the claims page on the TSA website. You may file a claim if you are injured or your property is lost or damaged during the screening process....
  • 158k
31 votes
Accepted

Airlines refused Missed Flight Cover 10 minutes after departure

Unfortunately, you're out of luck. Missed Flight Cover is an optional Travel Insurance for which there is an additional fee. Did you pay the fee? Any Compensation regulation does not apply because ...
  • 32.2k
31 votes
Accepted

What is the probability of "true" lost baggage (never returned to owner)?

From the data available here which is sourced from Air Travel Consumer Report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation, 0.021% of luggage is never found The rate of mishandled bags dropped ...
31 votes

Rain leaked into the aircraft causing a technical fault. Can the airline refuse compensation?

Seems to me that BA are attempting to use a spurious reason to avoid paying compensation to those entitled. Of course they do. It's pretty much standard procedure for most airlines for initial EC 261 ...
  • 80.6k
30 votes

Who compensates my UK train ticket when the train in the ticket didn't exist?

OK, there's a few things here. 1) You shouldn't have had to have bought a new ticket just because they scheduled engineering works after you'd already booked. Your ticket should have been honoured on ...
  • 10.7k
30 votes

What happens if a passenger wants to get off the plane during a runway delay because it ruins their travel plans completely

It's not going to happen. You cannot exit the plane without it going back to the gate. It's unsafe. The crew will refuse to let you. If you continue to try they will probably restrain you and you will ...
  • 62.6k
30 votes
Accepted

What can I do if a flight delay makes me miss the transfer from the airport?

I'm afraid not, at least not from the airline. The reasoning is the same as for a self-connections: you are supposed to have enough buffer, as there can be delays. If the delay had been 3 hours or ...
  • 60.3k
28 votes

Compensation in the EU after technical problem after take off

Under EU Flight Compensation Regulation 261, you are entitled to compensation if your flight is delayed by more than a certain amount of time. In 2009, the European Court of Justice ruled that this ...
27 votes
Accepted

TSA broke a lock for which they have a master key. How can I claim compensation?

If you have travel insurance, you can file a claim for damaged baggage. You should look at a reasonable option to fully repair the damage, which may include buying a brand new suitcase if there is no ...
  • 2,608
26 votes

Remedies when bus company makes me miss a flight

Transport does not work that way If you book separate segments from separate companies, they don't owe you anything for a missed connection. They got you to the agreed location, their job is done. ...
24 votes
Accepted

What is an effective means for complaining to an airline and having my complaint properly addressed?

Twitter. Seriously, use twitter. I've not done it a lot, but have had to complain to a few airlines in my time travelling. Phone: they didn't care, usually, just wanted to end the call. Email: ...
  • 158k
23 votes

What is an effective means for complaining to an airline and having my complaint properly addressed?

Social media is the way! file a proper complain via the airline's webpage or email, then follow up in Twitter or Facebook. Airlines hate it when people pick on them publicly. They will love to look ...
23 votes
Accepted

Does EU compensation apply to flights where the departure airport closes check-in counters during protests?

While it may be hard to say for certain without going through the court system, "political unrest" seems to be generally considered an "extraordinary circumstance" for the purpose of EU delay ...
  • 10.3k

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible