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Experience with EU 261

Some of you may know that Finnair has been hit with random strikes over the past month or so.

Yesterday was a strike day and I got hit. My original nonstop flight was canceled. I found out two days prior. I was put on a connecting flight instead that got me to my destination nearly 8 hours after my original arrival time.

Today, I put in a claim with Finnair under EU 261. It was easy and done through the Finnair website. They warned me that due to the number of claims, processing could take up to 10 weeks.

Less than two hours later, I received an email with a gift card for 600 Euros. They also gave me the option to convert the card to cash but it would only be for 400 Euros. (They add 50% to the value if I keep the gift card.)

I decided to take cash. I filled out the form and was told it will take anywhere from 3-14 days to show up in my bank.

So far, so good. I'm getting back the cost of the ticket plus a bit more to compensate for the aggravation.

Posted by
9428 posts

That's interesting, Frank, and good to know.

With regards to the gift card vs. cash, I've recently come across that when returning an item, and I'm wondering if more businesses will start doing this. I returned a bag I bought online, and was offered the full value back of $90 if I took a store credit, but if I wanted a refund to my credit card, I would receive $75. Like you, I opted for the cash (refund) in hand.

Posted by
885 posts

I think in this case, it may have been the opposite for Frank II. The payment schedule for EU261
is based on distance and length of delay. My guess is that Frank II's delay entitled him to 400EUR
in cash, and the airline offered 600 EUR on a gift card.

If it was a transatlantic flight and the delay was 8 hours, then the cash payment should be 600 EUR,
and perhaps the airline might offer 700 or 800 as a gift card/voucher. At least that's the way it
used to be.

All of this can be very tedious and the airline often measures delays in their own way. So the fact
that the payment came so quickly was very nice.

Posted by
17350 posts

Finnair, numerous times, stated that if I accepted the gift card it would be worth 50% more than the cash value.

If I accepted the gift card, it would be beneficial to Finnair because they wouldn't have to hand out any cash. It could only be used towards future flights. I'd also have to spend it with Finnair within the next year.

Of course, the money isn't in my account....yet.

A number of years ago I also had a claim with Iceland Air Connect. Even though the flight was within Iceland, and Iceland isn't in the EU, I got a compensation equal to 400 Euros.

Posted by
518 posts

Frank, I'm glad Finnair settled your claim quickly.

In 2023 we had a claim with American Airlines. After over 2 months of weekly automated emails from AA saying they were working on it, they finally settled our claim. We were offered a cash settlement or a higher amount in the form of a trip credit. I used the credits to fly Premium Economy to Europe this year for only $300.

Posted by
9428 posts

The payment schedule for EU261 is based on distance and length of delay. My guess is that Frank II's delay entitled him to 400EUR in cash, and the airline offered 600 EUR on a gift card.

shoeflyer, I did understand that. Frank said that the extra 25% was coming from Finnair. My point was that either way, companies are seeing the value of refunding extra money in the form of gift cards or credit. And technically that was what the company I dealt with did. They charge a $15 handling fee that is waived if you accept a credit. Either way, it's the principle I was talking about.

Posted by
6116 posts

United does something similar. They offered either 600 EUR for a canceled flight from Europe to the U.S. or a $1000 credit on United good for a year.

Posted by
1202 posts

Is there a time limit on submitting an EU 261 claim? My flight cancellation was in October 2024.

I had a flight cancellation on British Air, a ticket I purchased through American Airlines. The cancelled flight was from Paris to London, where I would connect for my homeward bound flight. AA rebooked me, we were delayed a day - British Air offered no assistance on the cancelled flight, did not offer us any booking options. I called AA to resolve it.

If I can still file this claim, which airline do I put in the claim with?

Thanks

Posted by
885 posts

Also @Jojo - because this thread started out with an experienced traveler getting an EC261 claim
approved, and is now perhaps moving towards others wondering how it works, please note that

  • you will need information about your flight to be able to file the claim; ticket #, flight #, etc.

    Make sure to gather it (AA.com may have some of it) before you start.

  • if you aren't aware of the reason for the original flight cancellation, review the reasons for which
    compensation will not be paid (essentially, circumstances outside the airline's control). No need
    to submit a claim if it's going to be rejected. Websites like flightaware may have historical data
    that would be of help (although going back too far requires a paid subscription).

  • not clear from your post, but, even if the flight is cancelled for reasons outside the airline's control,
    you are entitled to "duty of care". If BA did not put you up in a hotel for the night and provide some
    level of meals, you can file to be reimbursed (within reason) for expenses you incurred. This also
    applies for things like toiletries and clothing if you could not get to your checked baggage. I don't
    know if the statute of limitations here is as long as EC261.

  • be prepared to be patient. Frank II's results are something of an outlier in my view.

Posted by
518 posts

To add to Shoeflyer's information on duty of care.

For American Airlines you must have an itemized receipt for restaurant reimbursement. I only had the actual credit card receipt. After some back and forth with AA, we received 2 $75 trip credits which greatly exceed our lunch expense at Heathrow.

Posted by
17350 posts

You will need your record locater, ticket number, and original flight information. You will be asked the length of the delay. You are then asked to choose which compensation you qualify for in regards to time and distance.

I wasnt asked exact reason the flight was canceled just that the flight was canceled and I was delayed.

At the Finnair compensation site, the instructions were very good and not confusing at all. The only issue I had was when I wanted to convert the Finnair gift card to cash. I needed the Bank's BIC/Swift code. I had to call them for it. Had I been more diligent it was available on my bank's app if I had looked hard. (This is the code needed for foreign currency transfer from one bank to another.)

I was shocked at how fast it was processed.

If you were delayed a day, definitely go for compensation--especially if you had out of pocket expenses because of it.

Posted by
7514 posts

Even though the flight was within Iceland, and Iceland isn't in the
EU, I got a compensation equal to 400 Euros.

The rules applies to Iceland as well. To quote the actual source:

"EU means the 27 EU countries, including Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands, but not the Faeroe Islands. EU rules also apply to flights to and from Iceland, Norway and Switzerland."

Posted by
2885 posts

I had a delay several years ago on Virgin Atlantic flying JFK to LHR.

They offered me the cash (Seems like it was a few hundred pounds) or a free roundtrip business class ticket... (not being crazy I took the ticket :) )