I got almost £600 in compensation from a delayed flight in three easy steps – how YOU can do it too

OPENING up my email from Delta Airlines, I was in total shock. “I’m pleased to let you know that we’ve successfully authorised a payment of £570 to your account,” it read. I had complained about a flight nightmare the week before… but never in my wildest DREAMS did I think I’d get so much cash back. Want to know how I did it? I’ve got three easy steps for you to follow. I had been enjoying a dream holiday in Colombia when my flight was delayed by nine hours Credit: Supplied The airline agreed to send me a huge £570 in compensation and reimbursements afterwards Credit: Supplied I had contacted the airline to ask for a small reimbursement after flight delays left me stuck in Bogota, Colombia, for nine hours in June. It was so stressful – during my long wait I ended up spending about £50 extra on a day hotel, a couple of taxis and my dinner. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! What I didn’t expect was that Delta would not only reimburse me for my expenses, but it had also sent me a huge £520 in compensation. As it turns out, this is the amount that airlines are meant to give you in compensation if your long-haul flight gets you home more than four hours late. The amount of compensation you can get for flight delays or cancellations can vary massively depending on who you’re flying with, where in the world you were travelling, and what caused the delay. You don’t necessarily need to have as long a delay as I did to be compensated. US airlines usually have less strict rules around compensation, but the UK and the EU have tough laws to protect consumers. Luckily for me, my Delta flight was actually operated by its sister company Air France – and so I didn’t realise it, but it fell under EU laws. Most read in Money Given I had originally paid £830 for my flights to Colombia, this meant I’d made a huge chunk of my money back. You can claim this compensation even if the airline manages to put you on another flight at no extra cost. In my case, my flight from Bogota to Atlanta was so delayed that I would’ve then missed my connecting flight to London. I spoke to Delta’s customer service at the airport and they immediately switched me onto a direct flight to London. In fact, it ended up being a nicer journey for me – but the catch was that it was nine hours after my original departure time. I was actually quite happy in the end to have more time in Colombia, but I had large bags with me as I’d already checked out of my hostel and I spent more than I would’ve done if I’d got my flight home earlier. It took just three super-quick steps to get the compensation. First I made sure I had kept screenshots of my Uber bookings, as well as my dinner receipt. Second, I gathered evidence of what time my flight was meant to depart and the time I actually ended up departing. Next, I filled out a form on Delta’s website. I explained that I had paid out for extra expenses including transport and food because of the delays, and provided my evidence of each expense. It does always pay to be polite here. The airline does have to provide compensation under law for certain delays and cancellations, but it may be more willing to reimburse you for extra expenses as well if you keep your cool. I made sure to thank Delta for swiftly booking me onto a new flight, and said it would reflect well on the airline if they were able to help. They pretty much immediately agreed to reimburse me AND send compensation. Now I’m hundreds of pounds richer, and all I did was spend 10 minutes gathering evidence and filling out a form. What are your rights if your flight was delayed? My flight was with Air France so luckily it fell under EU laws for compensation Credit: Supplied If your flight is delayed, you could be entitled to compensation, food and accommodation, or even a full refund. Your flight out of the UK will be protected by British laws. You’ll also be protected by either British or European Union laws if your return flight is with a UK or EU airline. If these don’t apply to you, what you’ll be entitled to will depend on the airline, and the countries you left from and arrived in. You could receive compensation if you arrive at your destination three or more hours late. The amount you can get depends on how long your journey was: £220 for flights of up to 1,500km (for example, Glasgow to Amsterdam) £350 for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km (e.g. East Midlands to Marrakech) £260 for all other flights (this increases to £520 if the delay is longer than four hours) You’ll only get compensation if the delay was within the airline’s control. For example, delays caused by extreme weather, airport or air traffic control strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation. If your delay is longer than five hours, the airline must offer you the choice of a full refund for the flight – but this means cancelling your plans. You can also get help from your airline such as food, drink, accommodation and transfers if your flight is delayed. You can access these if your flight is delayed beyond its scheduled departure time by: two hours or more for flights of 1,500km or less (e.g. Glasgow to Amsterdam) three hours or more for flights between 1,500km and 3,500km (e.g. East Midlands to Marrakech) four hours or more for all other flights (e.g. London to New York). You might need to make alternative travel arrangements and then claim back the cost later. If you do this, keep your receipts and make sure your costs are reasonable. How to claim You can claim back too if your flight was delayed – and you’ve got six years to make a complaint Credit: Getty You’ll need to contact the airline operating the flight. Sometimes there will be a form online you can fill out, otherwise you can speak to customer services. Make sure you have your flight details, booking reference, and a clear idea of what went wrong and what you should be entitled to. Include any evidence you have of the delay, plus any receipts. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has tips on how to write a good complaint. You can claim for delays that happened up to six years ago. If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you. Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer. If the airline isn’t helping with your compensation, you can take your complaint to the Civil Aviation Authority. Comment now