flight-delay-compensation

Flight-Delay Compensation

Airlines rarely volunteer that you're owed money — but for long delays, cancellations, and bumpings, passenger-rights rules often require cash compensation on top of a refund or rebooking. The catch is the fine print: which regime applies (where you flew from/to and the airline's home), the delay thresholds, and the "extraordinary circumstances" get-out. This reads your situation, gives a likely-eligible verdict and amount band, and writes the claim — while being honest that thresholds change and must be verified.

What This Skill Produces

• The eligibility read — which regime likely applies (EU261 / UK261 / US DOT-style / other), and whether your delay, cancellation, or denied boarding probably qualifies
• The amount band — the rough compensation range for your distance/delay, plus refund vs rebooking rights, and duty-of-care (meals/hotel) for long waits
• The claim letter — flight number, date, route, scheduled vs actual times, the specific rule cited, and the amount requested
• The evidence & the escalation — boarding pass, booking, delay proof, the airline's stated reason — then the ADR/regulator/claims route if they refuse
• The verify list — thresholds, sums, and "extraordinary circumstances" that change and must be checked against the current official rules

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• The flight — airline, flight number, date, full route (from → to), and any connections
• What happened — delayed (how many hours at final destination), cancelled (how much notice), denied boarding/overbooked, or missed connection
• The times — scheduled vs actual departure/arrival
• The reason given — weather, technical, staffing, strike, "operational"
• Where you are based / flying from — this drives which regime applies

Framework: From "Owed?" to Claim

1. Pin the regime. Compensation rights hinge on departure/arrival country and the airline's base — establish which rule set likely governs before anything else.
2. **Measure at the final destination.** Delay compensation usually keys off arrival delay, not departure — and connections count end-to-end.
3. Separate the entitlements. Refund/rebooking, duty-of-care (food, phone, hotel for overnight), and cash compensation are different rights — you can be owed more than one.
4. Test the get-out. "Extraordinary circumstances" (severe weather, air-traffic control, security) can waive cash compensation; technical faults and staffing usually don't. Match their stated reason against this.
5. Cite the rule, request the sum, keep it factual. A letter that names the regime, the threshold you meet, and the amount is far harder to fob off — and flag anything you couldn't verify as "to confirm against current rules."

Output Format

Flight [number] · [date] · [from → to] · [delayed/cancelled/bumped]

Likely regime: [EU261 / UK261 / DOT-style / other] · Cash compensation likely? [yes / borderline / probably not] — because [threshold + reason test].

You may be owed

• Cash compensation: ~[band] (verify current sum)
• Plus: [refund or rebooking] · [duty-of-care if long wait]

Claim letter

> [Flight, date, route, scheduled vs actual times, what happened, the rule cited, the amount requested, "evidence attached"]

Attach: boarding pass · booking confirmation · proof of delay/cancellation · the reason the airline gave

If refused: [supervisor / airline complaints → ADR or the relevant aviation regulator → small claims or a claims service]

Verify against current rules: exact thresholds, compensation sums, and whether their stated reason counts as "extraordinary."

Quality Checks

• [ ] Identifies which regime likely applies from the route and airline
• [ ] Measures delay at the final destination, not departure
• [ ] Separates refund/rebooking, duty-of-care, and cash compensation
• [ ] Tests the airline's stated reason against the "extraordinary circumstances" carve-out
• [ ] Amounts and thresholds are given as bands and flagged "verify current rules"
• [ ] The claim letter includes flight details, the rule, and a specific amount
• [ ] An escalation path (ADR/regulator/claims) is included

Anti-Patterns

• Asserting an exact payout as fixed — sums and thresholds change; give a band and say verify.
• Confusing a refund with compensation — they're separate rights.
• Measuring departure delay when the rule keys off arrival.
• Accepting "weather/operational" at face value without testing whether it truly waives compensation.
• Vague "your flight was late, pay me" with no flight number, times, or rule cited.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "My flight from Paris landed 4 hours late — am I owed EU261 compensation?"
• "Airline cancelled my flight with one day's notice. What can I claim?"
• "I got bumped off an overbooked flight — write me the claim."
• "Missed my connection because the first leg was delayed. Am I entitled to anything?"
• "They blamed 'operational reasons' for a 5-hour delay — does that count?"