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A video that explains how to get cash out of stingy airlines is always worth a watch to me!

This is the most comprehensive video about EU261! We were canceled 48 hours before a flight Gatwick to Paris due to a cabin crew strike. We had no idea that we were entitled to compensation. Its been less than 2 months, so we'll file a claim with Vueling. Wish us luck!

The video that you have kept putting off due to presuming we'll find it dull is actually one of your best ;) Great video - you should have a million subscribers and better presence on KZfaq

Thanks for the useful information. Just a note - a couple of years ago, we had a flight from Paris to San Francisco cancelled and rebooked through Washington DC with an overnight delay. Air France covered our hotel in DC - including meal vouchers that did allow for alcohol. I think it is up to the carrier - we were told that US carriers never cover alcohol.

I love your semi-sarcastic delivery of very high quality information. Love the channel and been a subscriber since well under 1000 subs.

I really enjoy your videos. I think they are expertly done with a right amount of subtle humor to make them entertaining. Thank you!

Cheers Matt! Well-written and comprehensive video. Keep it up!

Well done! Great video. Keep up the good work. Congrats on the growth of the channel.

Very interesting and infirmative video! Great Job, Matt!

Another informative video; thanking you for researching and sharing. It’s definitely good detail to have should something go wrong. 👍👍

It would be good to hear how well this video actually does. It’s really helpful information and clearly a lot of appreciation in the comments. Thanks for the effort that went into making this.

Interesting video on the process and some information that a lot of people might not know Matt, thanks for sharing this as a lot of travel vloggers probably wouldn't get into the "nitty gritty" like this.

Useful, practical stuff. Thanks, Matt. 👍 Every time I think I've understood these rules I realise there's even more to it than I thought. 🤔

Hello Matt. Great reference Vlog and very well explained.

Thank you Matt for this video! I found it very interesting and clearly delivered. Admittedly, I had to rewatch a couple of sections, as I was getting lost in detail here and there. As you do not have visual aid (animation etc) sometimes it's a little challenging to follow as you speed up at times... but never mind, I am more than happy to re-watch. Again, a big fan of your work! A shout out to the BA staff too. I have had a good number of flights delayed/cancelled due to issues outside of BA's control - always exceptionally professional, helpful and always paid. Iberia story is sad but not surprising. As you say fortunately/unfortunately, Iberia operates on 'most people will not know / bother. Lesson - always push until get the result, otherwise nothing will happen.

Hello Matt. Thanks to this excellent video (and one I hoped I'd never have to revisit) but ... my return flight from Chicago to London was cancelled 5hrs prior to departure on 2nd July. We were told on numerous occasions this was due Pilot illness. But reading this mornings news re BA's case in the Supreme Court it appears BA has (til now) exercised 'extraordinary circumstances' to avoid paying cancellation compensation. Very disingenuous to say the least. Keep doing what you do best Matt. Thank you.

Great one as always! Glad you got the money you were entitled to. I’ve had the exact same experience when this has happened to me, the first claim request has always been denied but after the second request suddenly they are much more cooperative. A request for a future video is claims for delayed baggage on the outward flight.

Brilliant. Really helpful! I had a BA fight cancelled less than 24 hours I accepted a move so didn't realise I was till entitled to EU261! I've just submitted a claim based on this video. So you may have just made me £250 better off! Keep up the great work and being the best aviation creater!

Brilliant piece of work. Thank you very much

Outstanding video! Thanks, Matt.

Just a shout out to the BA staff at LCY. They are excellent when dealing with EU261 issues! Booked me on an alternate Lufthansa flight from LHR, covered my train fare, and then paid me out my £220 within a week of claim!

Not all KZfaq videos have to cover sexy or visually interesting topics, and as you say, this subject really couldn't be described as either of those! But hats off for making it, as the more people that claim for delays or cancellations hopefully the better the airline processes will become.

Sounds like a very exiting thing to research matt!

Thanks for the info + video!

KLM just cancelled my flight from Hamburg to Amsterdam (first leg of a two flight ticket to the UK). First thing I did before rebooking anything was to come back here to rewatch this video. Cheers Matt!

Thanks Matt, very helpful video. Booked to fly ba for the first time next year using points I had accrued, just a shame there so London based when Manchester is my nearest airport ✈️

This is a great vid 🎉 I’m waiting on BA - 8 weeks and counting in the Gold queue…

Thank you, Matt. I'm glad that IB finally coughed up. I've only had one before. BA settled it quickly. It helped in terms of evidence that the aircraft was broken and we had to squeeze on to the next.. BTW, if you're downgraded (as I was on that flight), pursue them for your correct TPs and Avios as well.

Very useful cheers Matt!

Informative, relevant, and helpful. This is the type of information that, while not the most glamorous of content, every traveller should know. Only ever had to use EU261 twice. Of course, it was both legs of the same trip. While I may have issue with the communication of the airline to its passengers during both delays, the ground staff were as much in the dark as we were - at least outbound. And when it came to EU261, the process was straight-forward and at least in our case, approved almost immediately. We were sent an email with a link to the online form, filled it out, and within a day or so had our response. Now, I filled out the online forms as soon as I was sent the link both times. I dont know what the regulations are regarding how long you have to fill out the form once it becomes clear you are entitled to compensation.

I have had 2 EU261 claims, 1 for Ryanair and 1 for Aegean. Both paid out without a quibble. Great video explaining it all. :)

Thx for trying to shed some light on EU 261 Mat . I work on transport issues at the EU and am still confused by 261s complexities. Its often hit and miss..depends on the airline and the individual case. Good luck with your Iberia claim.

Another good video well explained. I had a recent Jet2 flight from Rome to Stansted which arrived back over 3 hours late. This was due to lack of ground staff and baggage loading delays at Rome. I submitted full details to Jet2 including screen shots of their delay text message updates and received compensation 7 days later. I also claimed from BA a few years ago after a Vancouver to Heathrow flight was delayed by the outbound flight being heavily delayed. That was also a very simple process and compensation was received very soon after completing the online forms. I think it does help to submit as much information as possible to assist the airlines, even though they know from the flight number and date if they owe any compensation.

And it looks the day has come for me to make use of this video... with the Austrian Airlines strike coming up Thursday... Thanks again Matt!

Very very useful. thank you so much :)

Great video Matt, lets hope the Singapore flight Manchester ->Houston isnt affected 🤞

Very good video, always interesting.

I like this, good tips 🙂 This reminds me about a travel hack that i have named a "Chess booking", a Chess booking is a booking with multiple legs three or more with tight connections at the airports. It is placed such time of the day that it is structurally impossible to get you to the destination within the limit of EU/261 limit regardless of how they try. This means that if one of the two or more first flights is about 40 minutes later they will be trapped in an impossible dilemma turning that delay into a whole night at a hotel and a landing the day after. Giving a free night with food and beverages and a compensation. If the first flight is delayed at your home then you can send a cancel refund and collect your competition additionaly. This hack works of you fly out from a little small port like Kristiansand Norway, flying via Oslo, Stockholm to Copenhagen and then on to Gdansk. There are bookings where it is almost 80 percent propability that the airline will F it up, and if you end with a long haul flight with a similar trap in ether end, then the chances are quite good 😎

Another excellent video, Matt and one that I actually found really helpful. Having been through an EU/UK261 a couple of times with BA in recent years, I would agree that people need to be better informed about their rights with this - and should always persevere. Iberia's actions here are simply despicable, and wholly dishonest in their initial attempt to deny the claim. Pretty poor show from them.

Great video Matt. I would be interested in you covering Montreal Convention, 1999 a legislation that has been on the books for some time now, and covers virtually every country in the world when it comes to international travel. For instance, it provides for compensation of up to $7000 USD for out of pocket expenses incurred due to delays such as lost work, hotels, etc. Most people think of luggage when they think of Montreal Convention (if they do) but this is another key piece of the treaty. I will also point out that here in Australia, I am certainly guilty of being happy when airlines cancel my flights last minute. JetStar cancelled my Hobart to Sydney return flight and as a result, I was able to book the Movenpick hotel in Hobart (which included a-la carte breakfast at the hotel) plus meals with JetStar reimbursing me for the lot. I extended my vacation for a day on their dime and loved it!

Excellent video Matt! Slightly seething at all the missed compensation claims I now realise I have amassed over the years; but c’est la vie!

Excellent video. BA did exactly the same to three out of four of my claims, lied each time but just before taking them to CEDR and the court the paid up. On one message from Ba they stated they only paid up because I was 'determined'! Sad state of affairs.

Great job with a tricky subject - it’s the same with trains delay repay people just don’t know or don’t bother, it’s madness

Glad for this video. The questions I still have are when are strikes a legitimate exemption for the airlines and when are they not?

Thanks so much for the video. As far as I can tell it seems like my situation may NOT be covered. My Norse flight from LAX to LGW scheduled this upcoming May was cancelled and rebooked but for entirely different days. They want me to depart one full day earlier and return one full day earlier. The problem is that I already have non refundable hotel stays and other flights. They want to fly me back to LA on the same day I’ll be landing in London from Greece. I don’t care about compensation I just want my original departure and return dates

We were delayed as a result of a bird strike and although initially refused compensation I took it through arbitration and was awarded the compensation. This was because the bird strike was on the plane’s arrival the evening before and they chose not to start any maintenance/inspections of the plane until the morning (and the airport was a maintenance base). I argued that it was their maintenance approach that was the cause of the delay and not the bird strike (helped that I had a friend who flew the same type of plane and confirmed that given the damage there was no way that the pilots didn’t know there was a problem!) it was for a group of 5 so well worth the extra work to track down the actual facts and make a stronger case

My sis was stranded at AMS 1,5 weeks ago. The already 2 hours delayed Easyjet flight got cancelled. We kept in contact throughout the evening and when the cancellation was announced, I was happy to calm her down briefly explaining EU261. - Long story short, she went to the counter asap and after talking to an Easyjet representative she used her app to manage the booking. - She accepted a re-route via Manchester UK the next day and got booked in a decent hotel nearby Schiphol airport. Because the next-day flight was around 15 hours later, she also applied for the €250.- compensation. All in all another perfect example of EU261 in action, that is when airlines honestly apply it of course... Cheers Matt!

Only had one experience with this and was with a delayed flight with BA from Heathrow to Las Vegas. I completed the form on BA website on my return, got a response within one week and the money in back soon after.

Deny and then pay if you complain, sounds like the most common insurance model.

Great video Matt - but has highlighted that 12 months ago BA screwed me when they cancelled our flight from BHX to Belfast whilst we were sat in the departure lounge. We were booked onto a flight the following day which we refused as it was only a short break and flying the next day just wasn’t worth it. The reason they cancelled the flight we later discovered was that the inbound flight to BHX which should have took us to Belfast suffered a bird-strike earlier in the day. I did challenge this but it went nowhere so we got our flight costs refunded but no compensation

Matt really good and informative video, just to add my own experience to add weight to how petty airlines can get i was on a teir 1 flight delayed by 179 minutes as of the doors opening which was very dificult to determine as i found out by escalating my claim to CEDR this was as you may have realised on BA and whilst i understand that one minute is sufficent to dismiss my claim with BA direct i was really expecting CEDR to rule in my favour not the case..... so i hope that some who are reading these comments might not fall in to the trap i have....but yes i do still fly BA and can atest to the fact that there new claims procedure works better and when you get confirmation that they are at fault they pay reasonable straight away.....

I've had BA refuse to pay due to a storm, the day before from Heathrow. Now that sounds like they were "at it".

I've just done one of my videos (totally unrelated subject) and realised that subconsciously I've concluded my intro saying if you'd like to find out more then stick around. Do I owe you royalties?! :) ps enjoyed this video even tho I haven't had need of the info yet.

Rainou Iunidou (Spanish for United Kingdom) Hahahaha This is certainly a very useful video sr. Thank you!

Hello Matt (Ttam) Ok so I stumbled upon your channel while searching "Club Europe to Malaga" and now I'm completely immersed down the Rabbit Hole ! I find the content utterly fascinating although utterly inapplicable to my dismal and unexciting life, Great watching though, and I love tinkering around with that Matrix thing. So in October 2024 I am hoping to use my accumulated shopping total of Avios (24,000 +£130ish) to help pay for a Club Europe return to Malaga as a present to myself for still being alive despite six years of Chemo, Is this a groovy thing to do or as is usual with me, am I utterly deluded ? Keep it up Sir, love the trip reports best.

I had the return journey from Winnipeg to London via Toronto cancelled in 2017, for reasons that Westjet could never really explain, only found out about the cancellation when got to the airport - booked me on a flight for the next day and was given food vouchers. I made a claim and I was offered around £250, a long Skype call to Westjet's Canadian HQ followed and the compensation rose to over a £1000 - the Westjet staff knew I had done my research by the end of the call. Since I was travelling to Canada regularly at the time I took advantage of the airline's option of taking compensation in flights, at the time that meant the compensation was either tripled or quadrupled, long story short I ended up with over £4000 in flights.

Great video. I was unfortunate to have a cancelled flight to dubai due to lack of crew and moved to a flight two days later when a further cancellation happened due to a mechanical failure. The next available flight was again pushed 2 days later to wednesday. We called up to try and get a flight out same day but with a competitor but they said there was no availability yet we were able to book ourselves. Needless to say we ended up paying 3x the original price but i am trying to claim it back. One thing to note is that although the delay was on one flight booking, since the two cancellations were separate flights, we were able to 2x the compensation.

A great video providing a clear overview of the Regulation! There are just a few minor details I'd correct - firstly, the right to care and re-routing apply regardless of the reason for a cancellation/delay, or the amount of notice given. In combination with the Montreal Convention, this means that if your flight is rescheduled to arrive a lot later or leave a lot earlier, even if this happens months in advance, you're likely to be entitled to claim back the reasonable cost of any additional hotel that you thereby have to book. Secondly, the right to care and re-routing apply based on the reasonably anticipated delay in departure (see the first sentence of Article 6). The actual delay, or the delay in arrival, doesn't matter. Finally, it's worth pointing out that the "exceptional circumstances" defence to paying compensation is subject to a second test - namely, that the delay could not have been reduced or avoided even if "all reasonable measures" had been applied. This "all reasonable measures" test means that even if the initial reason for a delay is outside an airline's control (such as the aircraft being delayed earlier in the day by bad weather), failing to mitigate this (e.g. by having spare aircraft at their base airports) can make them liable for compensation. Following a CJEU decision (LE v TAP, much quoted on Flyertalk), this also extends to where a delay is exacerbated because the airline refuses to consider other airlines' flights when rebooking (re-routing) you. So at least in some cases, there is recompense if an airline refuses to rebook you at the earliest opportunity.

I was flying from LHR to BKK on Finnair via Helsinki. The flight from HEL to BKK developed a fault and was delayed until the following morning at 7am. I was accommodated in the Hilton overnight and given details of how to make a claim. When the claim was submitted, it was accepted and the compensation was paid with a week. Highly recommended Finnair.

Great video about an admittedly dull, but highly important topic! Only had one real experience with EU261 so far and that was handled speedy and without detours by LH. Something else related to this that would very much interest me is to what extend airlines can be held accountable (under EU261 or equivalent rules) for causing unplanned additional costs and discomfort due to delays. For example, if your flight is delayed, and you therefore miss your last train of the day to your final destination, forcing you to find another mean of transport or even a hotel. Even if an arrival time is within the EU261-allowed time margin, an 1.5 hr delay late at night can literally get you stranded if you live a train ride away from the airport, but there aren't any trains anymore... you know of any duty of care for cases like that? Although I guess that's just our bad luck then.

Thanks Matt, I wish this video was out a year ago and I had watched it back then...

Great video Matt. It may help to know that I claimed successfully from Qatar Airlines after my LHR-DOH leg arrived late and I was denied boarding the second leg to KUL. I was rebooked on Malaysian but arrived 12 hours late. Qatar initially were resistant but a second email did the trick.

Maybe one important addition: the EU 261 claim is a compensation to the passenger traveling, not to the person who booked / paid the ticket. Some airlines insist paying the compensation to the company on a business trip - which is illegal, but likely lowers the motivation of the passenger to claim the money.

That day has come! PS. It it worth directing people to the flyer talk forums for help with claims?

Good video very helpful. Do you think air traffic control issues would count as an external issue? Thanks very much.

Must confess, I had a 3.5h delay to and from LGW-JFK with BA, filled out 2x forms on my return and got the 2x260 within a few days, with no contest. Credit where it is (literally!) due

Thanks Matt. I’ve had a few of these over the past year (I fly pretty much every week). The tips on diverted flights and previous flights delayed by weather are very helpful! Airlines often claim weather as a reason not to pay out. What’s the view on this? I think the point about reasonable weather expectations (I.e. in winter you will get wintry conditions in a wintry location) is useful.

BA cancelled my flight to Austin less than 24 hours before departure leaving me stranded at my home airport. Our claim for compensation was rejected due to an ice storm limiting landings.

Great video as always Matt. I had a claim denied from BA for a 4+ hour delayed flight from LHR-IAD. Their justification was that the plane suffered a bird strike during its inbound flight which meant it needed to be checked and therefore caused a delay to my flight. Based off of your comments I wonder if this is worth pursuing further..?

A few years ago, my wife and I were denied boarding to an Iberia flight to Buenos Aires, due to overbooking, and Iberia immediately provided a hotel, transportation, and meals, and booked us in a flight the next morning. They also immediately paid us €600 each as compensation (we both got crispy new €500 bills for this!) So, well done… but I do not know how they are reacting now. Now, a tricky question: I have tickets booked on a major American airline for Buenos Aires this month. This is covered by EU261, as the flight departs from London. However, I'll be doing a two-day layover in Cincinnati (including a domestic leg in the US) before flying to Buenos Aires from Atlanta. This latter flight is often delayed (up to 10 hours!) Would the EU261 compensation apply to delays or cancellations on this third leg, considering that is included in the same ticket and itinerary number?

From personal experience, the airlines will also lie about the reason for delay, when I was delayed for over 5 hours on a BA flight out of Heathrow, they claimed the delay was caused because of weather which was outside their control… when I replied “this is not true, my flight was the only one delayed from taking off on time, all other flights departed on time, and upon boarding the pilot apologised for the delay due to scheduled service of plane overrunning “ Thankfully after this I received my payment.

If you don't think you videos matter, I submitted my request to BA solely based on your information found on this video - didn't even know this could be done, but I rarely fly internationally (2.4 M on Delta almost all has been domestic). BA flight cancelled, rebooked on a flight that got us to Glasgow 8 hours later. I did say I have submitted - haven't heard back on the request, but it has only been two weeks. Keep up the good work - thanks!

I claimed under UK261 for a delay on a BA ticket of over 4 hours YVR-LHR-GLA in May. To their credit BA paid up £520 within 2 weeks. I put in another claim for a 12.5 hour delay CLT-LHR-GLA in June on a BA/AA codeshare where BA was ticketing carrier but AA the operating carrier. I didn’t know that my claim won’t apply because it was on an AA flight til I watched this (they’ve sat on my claim with no response for over a month). So, I’ll have to look for alternate avenues to get my money because this delay was very much AA’s fault.

Excellent video. Just to clarify if I booked a BA coded flight to NY and the return flight was operated on BA’s behalf by AA then I’m not covered by 261. Ergo the be fully covered I for cancellation and delay I shouldn’t fly return flights code shared by a non EU airline 🤔

What if the flight takes off 2 hours late, is there any duty of care because we were stuck on tarmac for 30mins before take off after 90mins delay in terminal

How do you calculate length of flight if two connecting flights are affected, is it the shortest air distance between the origin and the destination or is it the total air distance from origin to intermediary city and then intermediary to destination

I did a few claims on Lufthansa last year. First sending a mail and giving them two weeks to approve in cc/ my lawyer. After that he takes over. I highly recommend to do this under German law. It's pretty cheap to go to court. But the airline always paid after the lawyer was involved and asked them to pay until a specified date. Only one time I was going to court and won also. And the airline had also to pay all the costs. When is it possible for you to claim in Germany? The routing has to touch a German city or the booking has been made in Germany. So if you fly MAD-FRA(IB)-LHR(BA)-LAX for example you're in.

Just in case, I would really appreciate any help on this one. I booked a flight from Stockholm to Sofia via Belgrade with Air Serbia. I arrived in Sofia a day later than originally booked! I requested compensation from Air Serbia which has been completely ignored - at least for 60 days! I bought the tickets when I was in the UK. Who on earth do I approach to continue with my claim?

The brits aren't in the EU anyone and will very shortly not qualify for EU261/2004 Compensation😅. Check the new updated policy.

So Jersey via LHR to Naples(on one ticket )would qualify for 261 only on the LHR to Naples leg?

Very informative video but I’m still unsure about cancellations. BA cancelled our flights to the USA (Newark) and back with less than 2 weeks notice. I rebooked flights to Philadelphia with them (the outward being indirect via Boston and 3 hours earlier). They said I was to get a £338 refund for 2 of us. Am I entitled to further compensation?

Regarding enforcement actions; the aim of allowing compensation in the legislation is to incentivise customers/passengers to enforce the action themselves. You are correct though that many people are unaware of the law or can be easily fobbed off. One day when I retire, I would love to set up a booth outside every major UK airport to purposely seek out those who have arrived on delayed flights. If you can source tens or even hundreds of claims from a single flight, it both makes your process easier and means you can reduce your margins too. Capitalism in action!

Sat in Corfu airport, expected delay back to UK greater than 3 hours. Already been text by Jet 2 with the EU261 at the bottom of the text for compensation, and were handed €8 euro voucher upon check in at airport.

Great Video Matt ... So could I clarify a couple of things ... Firstly lets say I take a Thai Airways flight from London to BKK .... is the outward leg covered by EU261 but the return not covered? Secondly Lets say I'm taking a flight from JFK to Doha that passes through the LHR on same ticket does EU 261 apply at all when the start and the end point aren't in Europe?

Does anyone know what my rights are if an airline cancels my flight from LCY less than 7d prior departure, and rebooks me on a flight from LGW or LHR around the same time, to the same destination. Any compensation due? Thanks

Sorry Matt Just thought of a third and potentially very devisive point for clarification .... . Do you have to actually fly to be eligible for compensation? Sounds silly I know but what if I'm booked on a Ryanair flight STN to FRA and for whatever reason I choose not go ... stay home and put my feet up ... but later find out it was delayed. Would a claim actually work. (disclaimer I personally wouldn't claim because I don't think it would be ethical but ... just wondering)

BREAKING NEWS: British travellers to lose millions in flight compensation over Brexit rule change Simon Calder Travel Correspondent British airline passengers are set to lose millions of pounds in flight disruption compensation each year due to Brexit. The long-standing right to cash compensation of over £500 no longer applies for travellers making journeys to the UK from non-EU countries on airlines such as Air France, KLM and Lufthansa. While travellers on disrupted flights who are ending their trips in the EU are entitled to hotels and meals, UK-bound passengers no longer have an automatic right to recover expenses from a European Union carrier - and are also unable to claim €600 (£513) in cash compensation when the airline is responsible for the delay.

Air canada did not answer. Tk said OK directly.