Airline Reimbursement Question - Delayed Flight

[LearningMustachian72]

Hey, I am flying United from the states to Venice Italy and my flight was delayed 8.5 hours.  Wondering what type of compensation I could expect and best way to go about it. I’ve used the ‘service app’ in the past and have enjoyed it. This ones a little tricky because the last leg is with Luthfansa, a partner airline.

Original Itinerary
Leg 1: Chicago to Dulles (Original layover: 1 hour // Now: 3.5 hours) = United
Leg 2: Dulles to Frankfurt (Original layover: 1 hour // Now: 7 hours) = United
Leg 3: Frankfurt to Venice = Luthfansa

The reason for delay was “Your inbound flight is arriving late because of a schedule disruption caused by an out of service aircraft”, which seems to be on the airline.

The above cost us fees in rental cars, meals and hotels we would not have otherwise had.

I know the EU has guaranteed compensation based on how long you are delayed but does this apply to flights then originated in USA with a partner airline?

Also just curious in general if anyone has tips on getting maximum compensation and what techniques they use?

Thanks in advance!

[dreadmoose]

Hi,

Detailed tips are hard to recall but we had this happen to us on both sides of a trip to Scotland. Delays were 28 hours and then 13 hours on the way home through a partner airline starting in Canada.

We applied for it through the airline that we flew and it was resolved very quickly with the full 600 euros each for both flights (basically paid for the trip).

A quick search pulled this guide, but I have only read the first half so far:

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/travel-guide/flight-delay-compensation/

I'll try and dig up any emails I have on it but the airlines are pretty used to dealing with it at this point I think.

Thanks.

[LearningMustachian72]

@dreadmoose

Thank you, much appreciated! 

Trying to screenshot all the changes and reasons for changes.

[Dicey]

Paging our Forum Friend @Adventine.

[Adventine]

Thanks @Dicey  !

@dreadmoose already provided a good resource for asking for compensation from the airline. Talking directly with the airline (either United or Lufthansa, whichever is easier to talk to) will be the quickest and most efficient way to minimize the financial hit.

Other ideas:

- If you have travel insurance (and really, anyone travelling internationally during COVID times should have this), check your policy for clauses like Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Travel Delay, Change Fee Coverage, and other similarly named benefits. You can get back some of your prepaid / non-refundable travel expenses.

- Certain credit cards also have travel insurance perks. If you booked your flights with this kind of card, you may be eligible for additional compensation through your credit card issuer.

- Hotels are hungry for your business. I remember booking a supposedly nonrefundable hotel in Australia in early 2021, then the pandemic hit and Australia shut down. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I politely asked for a refund via email. I got all my money back within the week.

Good luck and hope it gets sorted out soon!