Know Your Flight Rights
When It's You Versus The Airline, AirHelp Steps In
No matter how meticulously we plan our getaways, problems eventually crop up, particularly with air travel.
Lost luggage, overbooked flights and endless delays are enough to give anyone a headache.
But AirHelp is on your side. The world’s largest organization specializing in air passenger rights, it helps travelers get compensation for delayed or canceled flights and more. We spoke with Christian Nielsen, chief legal officer of AirHelp, to learn a bit more about air passenger rights.
What should travelers know about compensation?
They’re eligible for cash compensation for flight cancellations and other disruptions, including lengthy delays over three hours and denied boarding. Around 75 percent of cancellations entitle travelers to compensation of up to
$700 per person.
What are some little-known facts about air passenger rights?
Passengers on flights eligible under the European law EC 261 (which includes flights departing from the EU and flights to the EU on EU airlines) are eligible for financial compensation of up to $700 for cancellations that are the fault of the airline, in addition to lengthy disruptions. Even if you’re not on a European flight, you might still want to check your eligibility for compensation under the Montreal Convention.
What can you tell us about airlines overbooking flights?
It’s more common than you might think: Airlines sell more seats than they have available because they assume not all passengers will show up. However, if all passengers do show up, some may be denied boarding. When it comes to overbooking, flights with U.S. carriers between U.S. cities and international flights originating in the U.S. are covered by U.S. law. Depending on the length of your delay and your ticket fare, you can be eligible for up to $1,350.
Visit airhelp.com.