Your flight has been canceled – what do you do? In the U.S., probably cry, get stressed out trying to salvage things and hope for an open seat the same day.  Well, if you are originating in Europe, you can actually get canceled flight compensation if you meet all the requirements of the EU law and file your claim within three years with the airline.  Now, while I was vaguely familiar with the EU law (EU Regulation 261/2004) and have the  EU Passenger Rights app on my phone to reference it was three days before the three year deadline that found me filling out my canceled flight claim with British Airways online.

Why did I wait so long?  I hadn’t waited because I didn’t think, at the time, that my EU flight cancellation had met the rules. My flight was canceled and I was able to rebook on the same day. It wasn’t until my TripIt app sent me an email from a third party vendor, AirHelp which said they thought I was entitled to compensation (I didn’t know that my travel data was being shared by TripIt so I’ll need to look into that). Of course for a fee, they were happy to help me process my claim with the airline (fee varies but is generally 25% of the compensation amount).  I guess if you thought you were getting $0 and they can help get a refund up to 600 Euros, a share arrangement might be ok.  Unfortunately, my situation wasn’t straightforward, AirHelp response time was dreadful and I was running out of time. So I decided to pursue on my own. So many eligible travelers never file claims either not knowing they are entitled to compensation or thinking it is cumbersome process abandon the monies.

Background Story – the European Sabbatical

Three years ago I ran away to Europe for a few months – not quite eat, love, pray, but more eat, drink, eat my feelings away from a job loss.  I had sailed from Miami to Barcelona on NCL Epic cruise ship and booked a one way flight on British Airways with my points from LHR – EWR (Newark).  The day before I was scheduled to fly home, before I could check in online, I received an email that my flight was canceled (the EU law is 14 days’ notice).  Of course, I was in a panic because I didn’t have travel insurance on this flight as it was an award ticket so any out of pocket costs would be mine to bear. But luckily I was staying with a friend outside of London so no additional hotel costs to worry about.  It was a weird one though because usually, with so many direct flights to New York airports (JFK and EWR) each day, I thought I would have been automatically rebooked but I wasn’t. So I had to call customer service.  Little did I know three years later, each step of that call would need to be recalled and the story retold.

 

Rebooking the EU Canceled Flight from LHR – EWR

I called British Airways and was told that the flight was canceled without a real reason quite frankly (which generally means it wasn’t a full flight and easier to cancel and move everyone to other flights – I’m just guessing here though).  The agent said that British Airways would waive the rebooking fee (gee thanks for not charging me for something you initiated). There were no seats available on any of the flights to Newark which is why they couldn’t rebook me automatically.  Could I fly into JFK she asked?  I wasn’t keen on that option as the added cost and time to get home would be an inconvenience and BA wouldn’t pay the out of pocket I incurred (cab to Penn Station, train to Philly). So I decided why not ask for what I really wanted – direct to Philly?

I asked if I could fly home direct to Philly (PHL) instead and she found me a seat on the same day leaving many hours later than I was originally scheduled. Flying into Philly was definitely my preferred option as there would be no train or cab costs or the additional 2-3+ hours of commuting. My friend was listening the whole time and didn’t interject his thoughts (I’d get those on the ride to Heathrow as he wanted me to stay longer especially if I could have changed the flight for free.).  We had a bit of a tiff over it on the drive so I remember all of the details of the flight cancellation, customer service conversation and ensuring itinerary. Funny how fights and every word said can be so memorable but I walk into the kitchen for something and I forget why.

 

EU Canceled Flight Compensation Claim Process

So I started my claim with AirHelp (third party vendor) online in February and then was notified by email for a few months that it was “in process”.  I then received an email asking for additional information such as a copy of my passport and identification information (personal information I was reluctant to share without a valid reason).  I replied to AirHelp asking why they needed the personal information beyond the basic details of the flight. A few months passed before a reply arrived that didn’t answer my question. I was not able to contact AirHelp by phone (email only) and having read that they are quite busy, the lack of timely response was expected, however, with less than a week left in my claim window of three years (I had until July), I decided to try to file my claim myself.

Prior to February, I didn’t research my options and a quick search on British Airways took me to the BA canceled flight claim form page full of information.

I completed the information requested with ticket locator numbers (this is where the TripIt app and iPhone Wallet on my phone came in handy).  I easily located the information and boarding pass information from three years ago to add.  I had no out of pocket expenses but did need to add context to my claim (i.e. – original flight Newark, new flight Philly).  With that, I hit submit and was annoyed with myself that I hadn’t tried this five months earlier when contacted by AirHelp.

British Airways Canceled Flight Compensation Assistance

A week later, I received a phone call from British Airways.  I was surprised by the British voice attempting to leave a voicemail when I ran to the phone to pick up.  The agent was very friendly and told me she needed additional information about my claim.  First of all, they saw it incomplete in the system by AirHelp and I can’t have two claims for the same canceled flight.  I explained the impasse and lack of response so she closed the AirHelp claim and processed my new one instead.

A few days after we spoke, I had an email from another British Airways rep who needed more information on the details.  So I mapped out why I thought I qualified for the claim

• Notification less than 14 days in advance
• No Club World (business class) seats on the flights to Newark from London on my scheduled departure day
• JFK being too far away and costly out of pocket expenses that BA wouldn’t cover
• Philly being the best option on the same day. The only Philly flight available was more than three hours after the original flight schedule.
• I threw in the tiff with my friend just to add a bit of sympathy because what person hasn’t had a fight over travel with their friend, family or significant other?

She replied “thank you, we will process”

A few days later, I received notification from my bank of a deposit by British Airways for the full 600 Euro converted to US$.  Start to finish claim time with British Airways – less than one month!  It was almost too easy – I kept thinking it should have been more complicated but it wasn’t.  You really can do it yourself.

Final Thoughts – EU Compensation for British Airways Canceled Flight

So thanks to AirHelp for letting me know I had a potential claim but after five months they ended up being no help to me.  Given that my claim was quite unique in the situation, I doubt that they would have been able to be the go between I needed with BA.  It was much easier to talk to someone on the phone and in email with prompt responses.  If you have a straightforward claim, I would suggest you go to the airline website directly to submit your claim.  There are many websites offering to help you get your EU compensation (for a fee) but you really can do it yourself in my experience.  Make sure to prepare your documents in advance (ticket numbers, flight schedules – original and new with times, applicable out of pocket expenses, bank account information for wire payment, etc.) to make it easier to complete the form.  So while no one likes a canceled (or delayed) flight, at least the European Union (EU) has rules to make the airlines accountable and take the sting of the disruption a bit easier.

Have you ever had to file for compensation for a delayed or canceled EU flight or other transportation method? Did you submit directly with the airline or use a third party service? What was your experience like?