What Should I Do When An Airline Offers Vouchers Instead Of Compensation Or Refund?

Do I Have To Accept Vouchers Instead Of Compensation For A Flight Delay?

The practice of airlines offering vouchers instead of financial compensation or refunds has grown over the last few years.

However, you are under no legal obligation to accept vouchers instead of compensation.

As part of their legal requirements under EU Reg 261 and the accompanying UK equivalent, UK based airlines are legally bound to pay compensation for flight delays or cancellations that are not classed as an extraordinary circumstance.

Do I Have To Accept Vouchers Instead Of A Refund For A Flight Cancellation?

If your flight was cancelled and you choose not to accept a replacement flight, you are entitled to a full refund from the airline. Refunds must be paid by electronic transfer, bank orders, or cheques within seven days. You are under no legal obligation to accept vouchers from the airline.

What Happens If I Accept Vouchers From The Airline?

It is your right to accept airline vouchers if you wish. However, if you have signed an agreement to accept vouchers, it is unlikely you will be able to receive compensation following that signed agreement.

Usually, once you accept the vouchers, you forfeit your right to a monetary refund or any compensation if you decide to change your mind at a later date.

Additionally, many vouchers provided by the airline can be restrictive to passengers as they are often time-limited and expire quicker than you might expect.

How Do I Know If My Flight Is Eligible For Flight Compensation?

EUReg261 protects airline passengers whose flights departed from or arrived at a UK or EU airport on a UK or EU airline. You can claim for delayed flights that departed in the last six years.

Under UK law, you will be able to make a claim for EU261 compensation if your flight:

• Departed from the UK
• Arrived in the UK on a UK or EU airline
• Arrived in the EU on a UK airline

When Can I Claim Flight Delay Compensation?

You may be entitled to claim up to £520 per passenger in flight delay compensation if your flight arrives at least three hours later than scheduled and the delay was the airline’s responsibility and not an “extraordinary circumstance.”

You can also claim flight compensation if your flight was cancelled, you were involuntarily denied boarding, or you missed a connecting flight.

How Much Flight Delay Compensation Can I Claim?

The maximum compensation you can claim for a delayed flight is £520 per passenger. How much you can claim for your flight delay will depend on the length of your delay and the flight distance.

The level of compensation increases the longer you are delayed and the further the distance of your flight. You can claim for each passenger individually. If you were a family of four and were due £520 each, the total amount would be £2080.

The compensation amounts are fixed and unrelated to the ticket cost, the class of the fare you booked or whether you used air miles.

Our table below shows how much flight delay compensation you could claim. Alternatively, add your flight details to our flight compensation calculator and we’ll let you know instantly how much you could claim.