Two letters. The first claims your compensation. The second is the one almost nobody has, and the one that actually gets you paid: what to send when the airline refuses.
Claiming yourself is free and takes about fifteen minutes. A claim company does exactly this and keeps 25 to 35 percent of your money.
Work out what you are owedReplace everything in square brackets. Keep it this short. A long letter is easier to ignore and gives them more to argue with.
Subject: Compensation claim under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004, flight [FLIGHT NUMBER] on [DATE] Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing to claim compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. Booking reference: [BOOKING REFERENCE] Flight number: [FLIGHT NUMBER] Date of flight: [DATE] Route: [DEPARTURE AIRPORT] to [FINAL DESTINATION] Passenger names: [NAMES] My flight was [delayed / cancelled / overbooked]. I arrived at my final destination [NUMBER] hours and [NUMBER] minutes later than the scheduled arrival time. The distance of this flight is approximately [DISTANCE] km. Under Article 7 of the Regulation I am therefore entitled to [AMOUNT] per passenger, giving a total of [TOTAL] for [NUMBER] passengers. Please confirm within 14 days that you will pay this amount, and transfer it to the account below. I do not accept travel vouchers, air miles or discount codes in place of the cash payment to which I am entitled. Account name: [NAME] IBAN / account number: [DETAILS] BIC / sort code: [DETAILS] If you intend to refuse this claim on the grounds of extraordinary circumstances, please state the specific cause of the disruption and provide supporting evidence, as required under Article 5(3). Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS] [YOUR EMAIL] [TODAY'S DATE]
The line refusing vouchers matters. Airlines routinely offer a voucher worth more than the cash, and accepting one can extinguish your legal claim. Under Article 7(3) they can only pay in vouchers if you agree in writing.
This is where most claims die. The airline replies citing "extraordinary circumstances" or "operational reasons", the passenger assumes that settles it, and walks away from several hundred euros.
It does not settle it. Under Article 5(3) the airline has to prove the circumstance was extraordinary. You do not have to prove it was not. A one-line refusal proves nothing, and asking them to substantiate it is often enough on its own.
Subject: Rejected claim, flight [FLIGHT NUMBER] on [DATE], request for evidence Dear Sir or Madam, I refer to your response of [DATE] rejecting my claim under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 on the grounds of extraordinary circumstances. Under Article 5(3) the burden of proof rests with the operating air carrier. It is for you to demonstrate that the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. A general statement that the delay was caused by "operational reasons" or "an extraordinary circumstance" does not discharge that burden. I therefore request the following: 1. The specific cause of the disruption to flight [FLIGHT NUMBER] on [DATE]. 2. Documentary evidence of that cause. 3. An explanation of the reasonable measures you took to avoid or limit the disruption. I would draw your attention to the following rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union: In Wallentin-Hermann v Alitalia (C-549/07), the Court held that technical problems inherent in the normal exercise of an air carrier's activity do not constitute extraordinary circumstances. In Krüsemann and Others v TUIfly (C-195/17), the Court held that industrial action by the carrier's own staff likewise does not constitute extraordinary circumstances. If I do not receive the evidence requested within 14 days, I will refer this matter to the national enforcement body for the country of departure and will consider proceedings to recover the sum owed, together with interest and costs. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME] [TODAY'S DATE]
Escalate free of charge to the national enforcement body in the country you departed from. In the United Kingdom that is the Civil Aviation Authority; every EU state has an equivalent regulator. It costs nothing, and airlines take those letters considerably more seriously than they take yours.
You also have longer than you think. The United Kingdom allows 6 years (5 in Scotland), France and Spain 5, Germany 3, and Italy and the Netherlands 2. An old flight is very often still claimable.
Check a flight