If your flight is substantially delayed, your airline has certain responsibilities, depending on the distance of the flight and the length of the delay.
- distance of 1,500 km or less, the delay must be for two hours
- distance of at least 1,500 km (with the EEA and Switzerland) or between 1,500 and 3,000 km for other flights, the delay must be three hours
- distance of at least 3,000 km, the delay must be four hours
When this happens, you are entitled to ‘care and assistance’. ‘Care and assistance’ means:
- food and refreshments
- hotel accommodation if needed
- transport to the hotel if needed
- two telephone calls
If the airline does not provide you with the assistance you are entitled to, you should keep your receipts to claim the money back from the airline.
Compensation
If you arrive at your destination at least three hours late, you are entitled to compensation. The amount of compensation you can claim depends on whether the flight is short haul, medium haul or long haul. More information about how to calculate the length of your flight and the amount of compensation you can claim is available on the Irish Aviation Authority website.
If the airline cancels your flight, you can choose between re-routing or reimbursement. The reimbursement must include the cost of your ticket and a return flight to the airport of departure if you have a connecting flight.
If the airline reimburses you without offering you re-routing, you are entitled to additional reimbursement for the price difference of the new ticket.
You can choose re-routing at a time as close as possible to your original departure time, or at a later date. If you are re-routed to a different airport in the same city, the airline must pay for your transport to the original airport (or to another agreed place).
Where you have accepted re-routing, you may be entitled to compensation, depending on when you were notified about the cancellation. If you are re-routed as soon as possible, you should receive ‘care and assistance’ while you are waiting for your new flight.
Compensation
You may be entitled to compensation, even if you choose to be re-routed.
Compensation does not apply if you are informed about the cancellation more than 14 days before the date of the flight. You are also not entitled to compensation if the cancellation or re-routing is due to extraordinary circumstances, like weather conditions or security risks.
How this works depends on what you are offered and when you are informed. If you are informed between two weeks and one week of the flight, you are not entitled to compensation if you are offered:
- re-routing to depart no more than two hours before the original departure time or
- re-routing to arrive no more than four hours after the original arrival time
If you are informed less than one week before the flight, you are not entitled to compensation if you are offered:
- re-routing to depart no more than one hour before the original departure time or
- re-routing to arrive no more than two hours after the original arrival time
If you reach your final destination with a delay of between two and four hours, the compensation may be reduced by half. More information on compensation is available on the Irish Aviation Authority website.
If you are denied boarding because the airline has overbooked the flight, you can choose between reimbursement, re-routing or rebooking. You are also entitled to compensation. You can read about the compensation rates on the IAA website.
This does not apply if you are denied boarding because:
- you do not have the correct travel documents, like a passport or visa (if you need one), or documents for your pet
- you booked a return flight, but you didn’t take the outbound flight
- you booked connecting flights, but you didn’t take the prior flight on the journey
When you check in a bag, your airline is liable if something happens to it. If your hand luggage is damaged, the airline is only liable if it was responsible for the damage.
In the case of delayed baggage, the airline is responsible, unless it did everything possible to avoid the delay. The Montreal Convention means you can claim compensation for delayed bags. You should keep the baggage tag number you were given when you checked your bag in. The airline will need this to trace your bag.
If your bag has not turned up after 21 days it is considered lost. You can claim compensation for lost bags from your airline.
What to do
If your bag has not turned up at the airport when you land, report the problem straight away to your airline in the airport baggage hall and fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Make sure you keep your boarding card and baggage tag number, and ask for a copy of the PIR so you have a record that you notified the airline. You may also need to provide receipts for anything you are claiming for. You will need to submit a claim to the airline within the following timeframes:
- damaged bag: complain within seven days of getting your damaged bag back
- delayed bag: complain within 21 days of bag being returned
- lost bags: complain 21 days after bag didn’t show up (and within two years)
