Currently, passengers on airplanes can claim financial compensation for flight delays only if the delay exceeds three hours. The situation is however different in case of missed connecting flight.
„To claim some compensation only the delay when arriving to the destination is decisive, not the actual delay of the shuttle flight,” said Hendrik Noorderhaven, CEO of EUclaim, an established defender of passenger rights.
“If the passenger arrives later than three hours at the final destination, he or she has a right to receive compensation.”
The basic requirements for compensation are that the airline is responsible for the delay, the shuttle flight has launched from a European airport, and both flights, the first and the connecting flight, were booked in one operation.
„The amount of compensation is calculated from the total length of the flights,” Noorderhaven explains. For distances of up to 1,500 kilometers passengers can claim a compensation of 250 Euros, for distances between 1,500 – 3,000 kilometers they can claim 400 Euros.
Specifically protected are passengers who have traveled far. Those who have traveled a total of more than 3,500 kilometers and arrived at their destination more than four hours late, they are entitled to a compensation of 600 Euros. In case of arrival with a delay between three and four hours, you receive 50 percent of full compensation, i.e. 300 Euros.