Sample Complaint Letter to Airline for Delayed or Canceled Flight

Flight Delay Compensation Letter Template

Our free flight delay compensation letter template helps you to claim for your delayed, canceled, or overbooked flight.

To find out the amount to claim from the airlines, use our free flight compensation checker.

Flight Delay Compensation Letter Sample

Use our complimentary flight delay compensation template letter to draft a formal request to the airline, seeking reimbursement for your delayed or canceled flight.

We encourage air passengers to use our airline complaint letter, downloadable for free to make their claims to the airlines directly at no cost.

For flight delays of more than three hours, you may have the right to request delayed flight compensation of up to 600€ under EU Regulation 261/2004.

Our claim letter template will be helpful since it ensures that your assertion letter is complete without missing any relevant details following EU law.

Know more about EU Regulation 261/2004

The EU Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 entitles claims of up to 600€ to all airline passengers whose flights were delayed, canceled, or overbooked.

You may claim compensation for flight delays of more than three hours, flight cancellations without prior notice, or for denied boarding due to overbooking.

The entitlement is applicable for all air passengers whose flight departure was from the EU airport with any airline (EU or non-EU) and for passengers whose flight arrived at the EU airport with an EU-regulated airline.

It’s important to note that it must be the airlines’ fault for the disruption, and not due to circumstances beyond the airlines’ control such as extreme weather conditions.

Claim up to 600€ in just 2 minutes!

Steps to Claim Compensation On Your Own:

To claim compensation on your own, you have to submit the flight delay complaint letter following the three easy steps below:

Step 1

Calculate the amount to claim using our flight delay compensation calculator. Flight compensation varies between 250€ to 600€ depending on the hours of delay and the travel distance.

Enter your basic flight details such as flight number, flight date, and reason for delay or cancellation into our compensation calculator and determine the amount to request from the airline.

Step 2

Research the airline’s address, making sure it’s the correct legal address which you can easily find on the airline’s website. If you are not sure about the postal address, it is better to make a phone call to their telephone numbers. Then write the letter to the airline following our free claim letter template below.

There is no legal requirement to have proof of postage, but it might be best to get this to be on the safer side.

Guidance for Using this Flight Claim Letter Template

  • Replace any information enclosed within bracket ( ) with the relevant details.
  • Any reasons that do not apply to you should be deleted/updated.
  • We recommend sending your letter via registered delivery to ensure the airline’s acknowledgment. This adds formality to your complaint.
  • If you are claiming expenses for meals, refreshments, or overnight accommodation, please include the corresponding receipts along with your letter.

Flight Delay Claim Letter Template

Your Name:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Your Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Name of Airline: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Street and Street No.: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Postal Code and City: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Country: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ref: Assertion of compensation claims according to Art. 7 Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004

Dear Sir/Madam,

I hereby claim compensation according to Art. 7 of Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 for:

1. Your Name / Street / Postal Code / City
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2. Name of other Passengers (for example your Wife/Husband or Children)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I claim compensation relating to flight (flight number) which I booked from (departure airport) to (arrival airport) on (booking date).

The flight was delayed for more than (delay time) hours OR canceled OR took place without me.

The problem was not based on exceptional circumstances or act of god.

Due to the delay of (flight delay time) hours and the flight distance between the airports, I have the right to be compensated by (value of € per passenger) Euros for each passenger.

I am writing this letter to request you to pay an amount of (value of € per passenger) Euros / Passenger for each passenger, which comes to a total amount of €/£ (total amount of compensation) immediately, but not later than 2 weeks from the date of this letter.

My bank account is
Bank: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
IBAN: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Swift/BIC: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

If I do not receive a response from you within the aforementioned deadline, I will seek immediate legal assistance.

With best regards,

Your Name, Date and Signature

Step 3

After dispatching the letter, you must wait for a minimum of 3 weeks before initiating any legal action since your compensation payment may be in the way. If the airlines offer you a coupon towards compensation, or deny the admissibility of your claim citing “extraordinary circumstances,” or do not respond, you can seek help from our claim experts to claim on your behalf.

If you still want to pursue your compensation claim without any help from a professional flight compensation company, it’s a good idea to make sure your lawyer or legal advisor is well-versed in EU air passenger rights.

For US citizens or non-EU residents elsewhere, please be aware that the court handling your case may not be in your hometown, and you’ll be responsible for legal and travel expenses if you choose to pursue compensation on your own with the help of your lawyer.

While your physical presence is typically not required, it might be necessary in some instances. Keep in mind that if the court doesn’t rule in your favor, you’ll be responsible for all associated costs.

Claim through us on "No Win No Fee" basis

Claim for your Rights with ClaimFlights

Our claim process has been developed in a very easy manner to use, and the information required by us doesn’t take more than 2 minutes of your precious time.

Benefits of claiming through us

  • Free Flight Compensation Checker: Submit your flight number and date into our “Flight Delay Compensation Calculator” to check your eligibility for free.
  • Hassle-Free Claim: Our experienced claim professionals will handle your case and do all the paperwork for you.
  • No Legal Action Fees: Even if we have to go to court on your behalf, we do not charge you additionally for this.
  • Get Paid: Once your compensation is approved, it will be directly transferred to your bank account, minus ClaimFlights’ provision fees.
  • Maximum Payout: You get the maximum payout when compared with the other EU flight compensation providers.
  • No Win No Fee: Yes, you read it right, we do not charge any upfront fees until we win the case and get compensation from the airlines.

ClaimFlights is a registered Claim Service Provider and ensures all claims with an insurance contract.

See the details of our work compared to what you have to do if you do it yourself (our service) or claim your flight right now.

It will also not be out of place to mention here that our present area of service is limited to European Union laws or jurisdiction only.

Check how much you can claim!

Esenia Ulbrich

Esenia Ulbrich

Founder & Legal Head

Esenia Ulbrich is the founder of ClaimFlights and heads the legal team. She holds a master's in business administration and loves sailing in the Saronic Gulf, hiking in the Alpes, and spending time with her daughter.

Experiences and Reviews of Our Satisfied Customers

Choose your Choice to Claim Compensation

Here we have compared 3 different ways to claim compensation:

Lawyer

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Higher Fees (£50 to £500, + Hearing Fees)

M

Risk of losing money

M

Hours of your time are spent

M

Result unknown

ClaimFlights

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Zero Cost Risk & Additional legal databases

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Pay Only When We Win

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Close to 100% Success rate

Yourself

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Low cost risk, most airlines ignore customer claims

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Case might end up in court

M

Takes hours of your time

M

Outcome Unclear

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