Air Berlin vs EC261
Nov 26, 2016, 3:48 am
#46
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: switching frequently between US and Germany
Programs: DL GM / HH DIAMOND / IHG PlatAmb / AB Silv
Posts: 37
Germany... since I live there right now. It was a flight leaving from CPH via DUS to JFK: Delayed by 24 hrs due to technical. AB first offered a 100€ voucher and I then took this case to my lawyer - even then it took several letters and finally a court date to get them to pay me (+ 500€ in fees for lawyer, court etc). strange policy
Dec 9, 2016, 3:00 am
#48
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: 79856 Hinterzarten, Germany
Programs: BA GGL, BA GfL, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 188
If someone has a problem with Air Berlin and EC261 he can contact user kexbox. He is helping me right now for a cancelled AB flight from LAX to DUS.
Dec 22, 2016, 2:16 am
#49
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Berlin, Germany
Programs: BA BAEC GGL / A3 Gold
Posts: 22
Sorry, I only read the first and fourth page of the thread, so I hope this is no double post...
I always use flightright for all my EC261 claims. They might grab away 25% of my compensation, but I don't care, because working with them means this is absolutely no hassle for me and no costs and risks involved.
If you upload your required files to flightright, they will do all the work for you and in the worst case also go to court. A few month ago they even impounded an aircraft at Salzburg airport and the airline "in minutes" paid the open compensation claims to not risk their flights being delayed. And even if they loose in court against the airline, you don't have to pay anything. Just in case they are succesful, they take 25% of the compensation as payment.
I hope it is allowed to link to a profit organisation here, but I can only recommend them, currently they are fighting against Biman Bangladesh for me (actually since two years) and that is still going on in front of German courts and it seems like Biman will have to pay in the end...
https://www.flightright.co.uk/
I always use flightright for all my EC261 claims. They might grab away 25% of my compensation, but I don't care, because working with them means this is absolutely no hassle for me and no costs and risks involved.
If you upload your required files to flightright, they will do all the work for you and in the worst case also go to court. A few month ago they even impounded an aircraft at Salzburg airport and the airline "in minutes" paid the open compensation claims to not risk their flights being delayed. And even if they loose in court against the airline, you don't have to pay anything. Just in case they are succesful, they take 25% of the compensation as payment.
I hope it is allowed to link to a profit organisation here, but I can only recommend them, currently they are fighting against Biman Bangladesh for me (actually since two years) and that is still going on in front of German courts and it seems like Biman will have to pay in the end...
https://www.flightright.co.uk/
Dec 22, 2016, 12:30 pm
#50
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Berlin, TXL
Programs: OW Emerald, *A gold, Skyteam elite plus, Hilton gold, SPG gold
Posts: 339
Sorry, I only read the first and fourth page of the thread, so I hope this is no double post...
I always use flightright for all my EC261 claims. They might grab away 25% of my compensation, but I don't care, because working with them means this is absolutely no hassle for me and no costs and risks involved.
If you upload your required files to flightright, they will do all the work for you and in the worst case also go to court. A few month ago they even impounded an aircraft at Salzburg airport and the airline "in minutes" paid the open compensation claims to not risk their flights being delayed. And even if they loose in court against the airline, you don't have to pay anything. Just in case they are succesful, they take 25% of the compensation as payment.
I hope it is allowed to link to a profit organisation here, but I can only recommend them, currently they are fighting against Biman Bangladesh for me (actually since two years) and that is still going on in front of German courts and it seems like Biman will have to pay in the end...
https://www.flightright.co.uk/
I always use flightright for all my EC261 claims. They might grab away 25% of my compensation, but I don't care, because working with them means this is absolutely no hassle for me and no costs and risks involved.
If you upload your required files to flightright, they will do all the work for you and in the worst case also go to court. A few month ago they even impounded an aircraft at Salzburg airport and the airline "in minutes" paid the open compensation claims to not risk their flights being delayed. And even if they loose in court against the airline, you don't have to pay anything. Just in case they are succesful, they take 25% of the compensation as payment.
I hope it is allowed to link to a profit organisation here, but I can only recommend them, currently they are fighting against Biman Bangladesh for me (actually since two years) and that is still going on in front of German courts and it seems like Biman will have to pay in the end...
https://www.flightright.co.uk/
Dec 22, 2016, 1:44 pm
#51
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 181
ab has been ignoring my requests for the cancelled flt & delay luggage which happened on 9/1/16. I just filled out the flightright form for cancelled flt.
Does anyone know similar service for getting a compensation for delayed luggage for 50 hrs?
Does anyone know similar service for getting a compensation for delayed luggage for 50 hrs?
Jan 3, 2017, 4:46 am
#52
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Greater Metropolitan Area
Programs: Yes
Posts: 367
I was on the outbound flight for Tropikey's inbound on the 12 November which was also cancelled.
After reading the horror stories on here, I was bracing myself for a legal fight and losing out on compensation due to having to employ one of those compensation sharks online but all in all the process was actually fairly straight-forward and quick, minus their obvious steps of escalation while trying to avoid an actual cash payment.
Timeline:
1) 16/11/2016 - Contacted Airberlin through web form and requested 1200 Euro compensation in cash (for 2) due to cancelled flight with a 24h delay, referencing EC261/2004.
2) 24/11/2016 - Airberlin responds and offers 300 Euro in vouchers. No attempt to justify that offer or argue that it was "beyond their control" or similar.
3) 25/11/2016 - Contacted Airberlin again through web form and reiterated entitlement to 1200 Euro compentation in cash. Supplied German bank account details.
4) 06/12/2006 - Identical response, this time increasing voucher value to 1200 EUR.
5) 09/12/2016 - Contacted Airberlin through web form, citing Article 7, Paragraph 3 of EU 261/2004 and the right of reimbursement in cash. Supplied German and UK bank account details, and set a deadline of end of year.
6) 14/12/2016 - Airberlin agrees full payment of 1200 Euro in cash, but requests a signed confirmation by the second passenger that their compensation of 600 Euro can be paid into my bank account. I'm unsure on whether that was another stall, I am erring on the side of standard German bureaucracy on this one.
7) 18/12/2016 - Supplied scan of informal letter signed by second passenger confirming transfer into my account. Reiterated deadline of end of year. Supplied German and UK bank account details.
8) 30/12/2016 - 1200 Euro arrive in my German bank account.
Now that was a bit of a palaver but a bit more than a month to receive the full compensation amount and not even having to threaten legal action is a result in my book.
It is quite striking how the money arrived exactly one day before the "end of year" deadline I had set and I am unsure as to whether that was a coincidence.
I also have to point out that my correspondence was entirely in German which might have something to do with the smoother than expected process. I was always courteous but very to the point and ignored any kind of voucher offers - I never had to engage in any argument as they never tried to justify their voucher offers in the first place.
If anyone else needs help in sending German communication to them, please DM me. I've got all my responses written up now, so you might as well try using them yourself if you feel that it might make the difference...
After reading the horror stories on here, I was bracing myself for a legal fight and losing out on compensation due to having to employ one of those compensation sharks online but all in all the process was actually fairly straight-forward and quick, minus their obvious steps of escalation while trying to avoid an actual cash payment.
Timeline:
1) 16/11/2016 - Contacted Airberlin through web form and requested 1200 Euro compensation in cash (for 2) due to cancelled flight with a 24h delay, referencing EC261/2004.
2) 24/11/2016 - Airberlin responds and offers 300 Euro in vouchers. No attempt to justify that offer or argue that it was "beyond their control" or similar.
3) 25/11/2016 - Contacted Airberlin again through web form and reiterated entitlement to 1200 Euro compentation in cash. Supplied German bank account details.
4) 06/12/2006 - Identical response, this time increasing voucher value to 1200 EUR.
5) 09/12/2016 - Contacted Airberlin through web form, citing Article 7, Paragraph 3 of EU 261/2004 and the right of reimbursement in cash. Supplied German and UK bank account details, and set a deadline of end of year.
6) 14/12/2016 - Airberlin agrees full payment of 1200 Euro in cash, but requests a signed confirmation by the second passenger that their compensation of 600 Euro can be paid into my bank account. I'm unsure on whether that was another stall, I am erring on the side of standard German bureaucracy on this one.
7) 18/12/2016 - Supplied scan of informal letter signed by second passenger confirming transfer into my account. Reiterated deadline of end of year. Supplied German and UK bank account details.
8) 30/12/2016 - 1200 Euro arrive in my German bank account.
Now that was a bit of a palaver but a bit more than a month to receive the full compensation amount and not even having to threaten legal action is a result in my book.
It is quite striking how the money arrived exactly one day before the "end of year" deadline I had set and I am unsure as to whether that was a coincidence.
I also have to point out that my correspondence was entirely in German which might have something to do with the smoother than expected process. I was always courteous but very to the point and ignored any kind of voucher offers - I never had to engage in any argument as they never tried to justify their voucher offers in the first place.
If anyone else needs help in sending German communication to them, please DM me. I've got all my responses written up now, so you might as well try using them yourself if you feel that it might make the difference...
Last edited by Quark999; Jan 3, 2017 at 4:54 am
Jan 3, 2017, 9:00 am
#53
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
A great result Quark999 ^
I imagine that your straight to the point, persistent no nonsense approach paid dividends!
I imagine that your straight to the point, persistent no nonsense approach paid dividends!
Jan 4, 2017, 2:33 am
#54
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
If you upload your required files to flightright, they will do all the work for you and in the worst case also go to court.
Jan 11, 2017, 6:28 am
#55
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Gdynia, Poland
Posts: 631
Everything went smooth (as regards cooperation with kexbox, not with AB
) and very fast.