Q: My family and I had a flight booked from Milan to Bucharest and our flight was delayed for over six hours. When we checked about our rights, we found out that according to EU regulations we should be entitled to €250 compensation from the airline. However, when we contacted the airline, they only offered us a refund of the money paid for the flight ticket. How can we get the compensation we are entitled to?

A: Since your flight was delayed for more than three hours, unless the delay was caused by an extraordinary circumstance beyond the airline’s control, yes, as per EC Regulation 261/2004, you and your family are entitled to monetary compensation for the inconvenience suffered due to the delay.

The amount of compensation ranges from €250 to €600 per passenger depending on the length of the affected flight. A €250 compensation applies for flights less than 1,500km, €400 for flights between 1,500 and 3,500km, and €600 for flights longer than 3,500km.

The amount of compensation ranges from €250 to €600 per passenger depending on the length of the affected flight

If you have already made your claim for compensation with the airline and your claim was rejected, the next step is to register a complaint with the national enforcement body (NEB) where the incident took place. Since the delay occurred in Milan, you need to file a complaint with Italy’s NEB.

Whenever the delay or cancellation occurs in Malta, or in a country outside the EU on a flight whose final destination is Malta, complaints against airlines may be made with the MCCAA by sending an e-mail to airpassengerrights.mccaa@mccaa.org.mt.

 

Want to submit your own query? Write to the MCCAA.