Flight Delayed by 2 Hours: What Compensation is offered

Travelers who frequently undergo air journeys often have to tussle for the flight delays. Many of these delays may jeopardize the future journeys, leading to a stand till halt. By and large, there are approximately 30,000 flights are deferred by as many as 2 Hours, 3 Hours, 6 Hours or may be even more . But many passengers fail to realize that the delays grant them with potent reasons to fight for their rights as earmarked under the Civil Aviation of many countries.

A 2 Hours delay is a matter of grave concern, and it adds to overall inconvenience. Guess if you are on a business meeting, and out of real astonishment, you come to know that the flight is delayed by 2 Hours! You will be in a hellish shock! And just a worst case scenario, if you are traveling with your kids! A delay will necessarily create a tormenting burden. Now you have to arrange for their food and other things too!

One of the natural after effects of flight delays come out rightly on meals. A 2 Hours delay on the airport and waiting for your flight would automatically mean that you have to wait for your meal for another 2 Hours. Since many passengers rely on the meals that will be served to them during their flight, the flight delay is exceptionally horrifying. And for the passengers who are diabetic, the effect of flight delays on their health is far devastating.

Fortunately, with properly sorted out service level agreements and the service protocols around, airlines are legally bound to offer the passengers with food, necessary communication methods, interalia in wake of the flight delays.

Delays are expected in air journeys, but these are not the usual norms! The question is what type of compensation you are going to be paid with? And for God sake – When?

Stranded at Airport for 2 Hours or More! What You Could Expect from Airlines?

Within the protocols of Montreal Convention, passengers are compensated by the airlines for the delays and/or cancelations. If the delay at the airport exceeds 3 Hours, the passengers will have the right to flight for financial compensation, which is in assent to the regulations of EC Regulation 261 (Passenger Rights) - Flights from European Union Member Countries, Contract Law, USA and the Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR).

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) airlines in the U.S. is not going to pay or flight for the compensation rights of the passengers if a flight is delayed or canceled. The federal agency shall play a decisive role in the event where the passenger is bounced while boarding an overbooked flight.

Here are 3 relevant factors to look out when Flight Delayed 2 Hours:

#1 – The proportionality of time and length of delay with respect to the food and refreshments – The flight delayed at 12 Noon will mean that the airline has the obligation towards the passengers to offer them few snacks and water. However, if the flight is delayed around the time of main course meals, the passenger is bounded by law to provide whole course meals at time of such delays. There is also high probability for you to provide food vouchers or snacks to adhere to the legalities. In a situation where the delay is 20 or 40 minutes away from the time of boarding, and you have nearly approached the mealtime, the airline will still offer snacks.

#2- Free telecommunications and emails are offered by the airline in the event of flight delays – In some situations, the airline allows passengers to call from the phone line available at entry gate of the airport. During the event of flight delay, airline will also be obliged to offer you with connectivity if the cell phone has lost its connectivity.

#3 - The airline will continuously update you in every 30 Minutes – It is the right of the passenger that you are updated by the respective airline as to when the new flight will be rescheduled.

Flights are delayed by 2 Hours or more: What are Your Priorities

The flight is delayed, and this is the time to panic. You will have chain of inconveniences waiting around at the airport, especially if you are not alone and accompanied by kids, old-age partners or even pets. But you do not have to panic. You have the rights through which you are entitled for refreshments and communications for delay of flights by 2 Hours or more. Here are a few quick things to take note of in the event of the flight delays:

Make sure that you have saved the receipt of food purchases – In case airlines has not offered you the vouchers for procuring the food items, it is better that you save the receipts of the food purchases that you do from the airport. The airline will only reimburse only the portion of your refreshment for the duration for which you are stranded on the airport. And just in case you have ordered a steak from some branded luxury shop on the airport, then such reimbursement may not be counted if the delay is of only few minutes over and above 2 Hours. It is also important to note that the airline will not cover your bills for alcohol, irrespective of the length of your delay.
Save the receipts of your communications – There could have been communication over the Wi Fi and/or Emails and/or Phone Calls during the flight delays, and for which you have paid out of your pocket. Save the receipts of all these digital communications that you make at the airport.
Maintain the records of communication, boarding pass etc. – According to EU and Canadian law, the flight delays are calculated in terms of difference that passengers arrive at their destination airport, and not the flight delays experienced on the airport. It could be explained nicely with an example:

If the passenger experiences 2 Hours Delay on the departure terminal, and an additional delay of 1 Hour on the tarmac, and further an additional delay of 30 Minutes, and all of it totals to 3.5 Hours. Now in such a scenario, the passenger will be entitled for compensation by the airlines. Once you have the records of the documentation of boarding pass, communication etc. you will become eligible for raising the financial claims with respective airline. There will be no hassles at all.

Delays extending beyond 3 Hours - In the event where the delay at the airport is caused because of airline’s fault, 3 hours or more in USA/Canada or beyond 5 hours in the EU, the passengers have the right to cancel the flight and ask the airline for full refunds, or the airline initiates an alternative arrangement as the case appears before the airlines.

Flight Delay 2 Hours Due to Overbooking

Overbooking is an explicit condition that falls within the control of the airline. When an airline overbooks the flight, it means that the airline has accepted more reservations than there are seats available in the flight. Passengers are sometimes denied boarding due to overbooking. The flight is delayed by 2 Hours as the result of such overbookings. According to The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) airlines and Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), the $900 compensation is awarded by the respective airline. The amount drawn as compensation by the passenger is over and above the alternate ticket that is offered to you by the airline.

According to EC Regulation 261 (Passenger Rights), the passengers will be compensated with:

EUR 250 for all flights amounting to 1500 kilometers or under;
EUR 400 for all intra-Community flights over 1500 Kilometers and all general flights ranging from 1500 Kilometers to 3500 Kilometers;
EUR 600 for all flights in case of all other possibilities.

Conclusion Drawn: Verdict Reached

Are you trapped at the airport due to flight delayed 2 Hours or more? You may not be aware of your rights as a passenger. Flyobooking may help you in this appalling situation by offering updated information about your rights and legalities in the event of flight delays. Flyobooking not only offers cheap flights to global destinations but we are also experts on the passenger rights at the times of flight delayed 2 hours. Let us fight for your rights with the airlines and offer you the best compensation against the possible flight delays.

Frequently Asked Questions

The compensation for the flight delays in North America and Europe are regulated under the guidelines of EC Regulation 261 (Passenger Rights), Contract Law, USA and the Canadian Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). However, the airlines also have their own regulations and mandates in place for appeasing their customers in the time of flight delays.

The flight delay is ascertained on the basis of the time that the passenger approached its destination airport. Now for example, of the flight took off from the departure airport 3 Hours late and the passenger approached the destination airport only 1 hour behind the time schedule due to good flight conditions, then in such scenario the passenger is not entitled for compensation.

Irrespective of the fact that you have a long haul or a short haul flight, both of these flights will not have any influence on the compensation that the airline may oblige to offer and entitled to serving foods and drinks. But the passengers will receive the entitlement only if their flight is delayed by only 2 Hours. The delay of 3 or more hours becomes relevant in respect of short haul or long haul flight. If the delay of 3 or more hours is on short haul route, then the compensation likely to be received by the passenger is 250 Euros and on the contrary, if the delay is on the long haul flight, the compensation will be 600 Euros.

If your flight delay is less than or equal to 2 Hours, then the laws in the US say that you will not be compensated monetarily. However, you are likely to get compensated in kind like provisions of food and drinks are offered to you. A few domestic airlines flying in the US may through the way of persuasion provide compensation to the passengers through vouchers, air miles, or discounts. If the possibilities of occurrences of these delays are within the airline’s control, and the delay is of more than 3 Hours, passengers will be compensated according to the terms of Canadian and EU law. In such delays, the passengers will be compensated for $2,400 CAD (under Canadian law) or €600 and £520 (within the EU/UK law).

A flight delay up to 2 Hours is acceptable and cannot be reasoned out beyond the system of logic. If the time lag is more than 2 Hours, your airline is obliged to offer you food and drinks besides a prolonged stay in the hotel absolutely free of cost. If the expected delay is of at least 3 to 6 hours, then the airline may compensate your waiting by means of financial compensation. And for this reason, you need to interact with your airline.

If the flight delay occurs as the result of weather or safety issues or due to the error caused by air traffic control, then your airline will not have to compensate you for the flight delay 2 Hours or more in any way.

There are 2 hour flight delays leading to missing of a connecting flight (and this is even more likely to happen, if the layover is quite short). If any such thing happens with you then the airline will make arrangements for alternate flights. Moreover, the airline will also arrange for the accommodation as well as transportation to and from the airport, especially if there is no flight until the midnight.