Wondering what to do if your flight is canceled or delayed?

 A Special Report: Flight Delays and Cancellations

What are your rights?

Information provided courtesy of Carinna Gano, 5W Public Relations, NYC, and Paloma Salmeron Planells, a representative from AirHelp, an international air passenger rights company.

Severe snow, wind, and rain are expected across the US, and the nation’s four biggest airlines (American, Delta, United, and Southwest) have already enacted flexible rebooking policies at a number of airports to accommodate canceled and delayed flights. However, with so many passengers being rebooked, flights after the storm may get more overbooked than usual, which can lead to denied boarding for air travelers.
The good news is, US air travelers on flights to the EU could be eligible for compensation if they are denied boarding due to overbookings. Paloma Salmeron Planells, representative from AirHelp, an international air passenger rights company, comments:
“While the airline is not liable under EU regulation EC 261 and other similar air passenger laws to pay compensation as the flight disruption is considered to be an ‘extraordinary circumstance’, the airline does however have an obligation to offer you with assistance, including free food and drink, overnight accommodation if required, two phone calls and access to emails.

Passengers are eligible for these rights if:
• They’re delayed by two hours and are traveling 1,500 km or less
• They’re delayed by three hours and traveling on an internal EU flight over 1,500 km
• They’re delayed by three hours and traveling on a non-internal EU flight between 1,500 km – 3,500 km
• They’re delayed by four hours and traveling on a non-internal EU flight over 3,500 km
“Air passengers experiencing delayed or canceled flights can check their eligibility for compensation at the airport or on-the-go, and make a claim in a matter of minutes through the free AirHelp mobile app, available for iOS and Android.”