EU vs UK law for cancelled flight

naf123

Hi

Booked ticket in $ for JFK to Manchester. The return leg (Manchester to JFK) was cancelled (technical issues) and was rebooked the next day Manchester to Dublin to JFK .

Airline is Aer Lingus.

Do I make a claim in compensation under EU or UK law?
I also had travel insurance with Aer Lingus - do I also claim on that separately?  

Thank you!

bagand96

Aer Lingus flights between Manchester and USA are operated by Aer Lingus (UK) Ltd so you'd claim under the UK legislation as there is no EU relevance to your flight.

Voyager2002

You should certainly put in a claim for your insurance. It is possible that the amount of any compensation you receive would be deducted from the insurance payout, but it is certainly worth claiming any money to which you might be entitled.

eskbanker

naf123 said:

Booked ticket in $ for JFK to Manchester. The return leg (Manchester to JFK) was cancelled (technical issues) and was rebooked the next day Manchester to Dublin to JFK .

Airline is Aer Lingus.

Do I make a claim in compensation under EU or UK law?
I also had travel insurance with Aer Lingus - do I also claim on that separately?

Voyager2002 said:

You should certainly put in a claim for your insurance. It is possible that the amount of any compensation you receive would be deducted from the insurance payout, but it is certainly worth claiming any money to which you might be entitled.

What would OP actually be claiming for from the insurer?  The airline was responsible for rerouting (the implication being that this was done), accommodation, meals and incidental out of pocket expenses, so an insurer would expect such costs to be reclaimed from the airline, and delay compensation won't be covered under travel insurance, i.e. it isn't obvious what any insurance claim would be for....

naf123

So is all these insurance policies a waste of time?

Is the maximum one can claim is £520 ?

What about the taxi expenses? Is that separate to £520 or included in the £520?

As for the overnight stay, did not stay in hotel, I went back to my family who kindly accommodated me for an extra night. Shall I get them to bill the airline? 

eskbanker

naf123 said:

So is all these insurance policies a waste of time?
No, they provide cover for all sorts of issues, such as medical problems, advance cancellation, etc, but will typically exclude costs that are recoverable from other parties, such as airlines.

Is the maximum one can claim is £520 ?
No, that's the figure specifically for compensation in the event of cancellation/delay of a long-haul flight, which is a separate item from other headings involving reimbursement of expenses.

What about the taxi expenses? Is that separate to £520 or included in the £520?
Separately claimable, if you had to take a taxi to/from overnight accommodation as a result of the flight being cancelled.

As for the overnight stay, did not stay in hotel, I went back to my family who kindly accommodated me for an extra night. Shall I get them to bill the airline?
Theoretically you could claim for actual costs incurred, so if you went out for a modest evening meal then that ought to be claimable, but you can't invent a cost for accommodation if it was free, as neither the airline nor your insurer would cover that.

Answers inline above, best to read up on your rights at the likes of https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays/