The Best Ways to Ask for Compensation If Something Goes Wrong During Your Flight
While most flights go smoothly, bad things do happen. Delays, distracting maneuvers, broken tables and trays, faulty entertainment consoles, and unstable Wi-Fi can turn a normal flight into an unpleasant experience. When in trouble, consider asking for such compensation.
Before we dive into the details, keep in mind that airlines are only required by law to compensate you for a few things . Namely, involuntary strikes, unreasonable delays on the runway and lost luggage. Everything else is at the discretion of the airline. Generally speaking, if they get you where you need to, somewhat safely and in a reasonable amount of time, you won’t have a lot of ground to stand on . However, it doesn’t hurt to ask for compensation if something goes wrong. They may not be required by law to help, but they are interested in retaining customers.
However, before asking for anything, you need to know what is worth the compensation and what is not. For example, someone reclines the seat in front of you , unpleasant turbulence, being forced to sit next to human flatulence and running out of your food option – these are not things you should expect to be compensated for. Sorry friend, this is all bad luck. But broken armrests, faulty headphone jacks, unscheduled flights, and flight attendants handing out peanuts when you specifically mentioned you’re allergic might be worth asking. This is especially true if you have elite status with an airline. They are more likely to pay members of their loyalty programs.
When something goes wrong, be sure to document the problem in as much detail as possible so that you can clearly explain what went wrong and why it was so problematic for you. Write down what happened and include your name on your boarding pass, take photos and be sure to include important flight information such as departure date, flight number, departure and arrival airports and baggage tag numbers.
When it comes to major traditional carriers like American Airlines, Delta, and United, readers of The Points Guy suggest these are some of the best ways to ask for compensation:
- Ask the flight attendant : flight attendants may offer you some compensation on the spot. This could be free food or drinks, or even crediting airline miles to your account. For example, American Airlines flight attendants are starting to use a tablet program called iSolve, which makes it easy for them to offer in-flight compensation. No Wi-Fi? Is your tray broken? Is there an unpleasant passenger sitting next to you? Say something!
- Twitter on their support account : While a good old letter or email might work, a tweet is almost guaranteed to give you some kind of answer. Airlines are reluctant to ignore complaints about flying in public, so they often try to resolve these issues quickly. Contact American , Delta , United, and others on Twitter and describe the problem quickly and calmly. Try not to overheat. You may be angry, but no one wants to help an irrational person.
If things are not moving forward, be sure to respond to your request. Remember that often you will not receive anything in compensation unless you ask. Airlines don’t want to give away free points and credits, so be proactive if you think you deserve something. And while it never hurts to try, don’t expect a lot when asking for compensation, unless something infringes the US Department of Transportation’s flight rights.