NickB

This is an international board where many people whose first language is not English contribute. This is especially true of fora for non-US airlines. Allright, perhaps "inconvenience" might conceivably have been a better word than "discomfort". Is that enough for you to get on your high horse about people "using buzzwords to get more out of situation"? I would suggest that it probably is not. All the other contributors seem to have understood what the OP meant. Perhaps you should train you internet ear to be a little more open and understanding?

Yoshi212

I think the OP has quite a high level of competence in the English language. Both of OP's postings were well written and easy to follow. It is a bit more obvious that OP may come from Europe or another area by the way the date is phrased but I know many Europeans & non-Americans who speak and write rather well . Inconvenience surely would have been a better and more appropriate word, but the lack of response by the OP in 2 days seems we won't know if the OP actually experienced true discomfort,was a buzzword or if the phrasing was a lost in translation. Just because a question is laced/coated/slathered in sarcasm doesn't mean that it isn't relevant. But now I'm probably riding even higher on my horse in your mind.

Airframe

Hi,

I was not sure where to post this regarding EUR 261/2004 regarding a delay I suffered over the weekend with Delta, I was going to post in DL not wanting to hijack this thread but think as it concerns EU ruling I hope you guys can advise or point me in the right direction if I need to repost elsewhere.

On Friday I was scheduled to fly SAT-ATL-MAN with Delta all booked on through DL flights with DL ticket stock.

The SAT-ATL flight went tech and after 2 hours on board they let us off as they had to fly some parts in from Atlanta to hopefully fix it.

During the delay after queuing at the gate for another 2 hours to see a CSA as we knew now we would miss the ATL-MAN connection we got rebooked for the transatlantic leg but only for the following day and now would fly ATL-CDG-MAN on Saturday.

We left SAT 5 hours late and had to overnight at hotel provided by DL near the airport in ATL During the delay no food or drinks were offered and we were told that DLno longer does this when we asked. They would only provide a room in ATL but nothing else. We would not get our luggage as it was in transit International. As a KL Plat I was very disappointed that there was no food or refreshments offered or Sky Priority given for rebooking or seeing CSA etc but that's a different rant for another day.

I actually arrived back in MAN 23.5hours later than should have done.

My question is as my ticket was booked to travel from the U.S. to UK with Delta albeit with a connection in ATL am I able to claim or lodge a claim under EUR 261 /2004 for this or would I need to contact Delta and just hope they offer some form of compensation ?

I am not sure if this ruling would relate to the ticket or just the ATL-MAN which in itself was not late it was the long delay on my prior connection on the same ticket that caused me to miss it.

Once again apologies if I need to post this elsewhere but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Edited to add I just read that this would only be applicable if the DL flights originated in the EU to the US and as they are not an EU based airline flights to the EU from the U.S. are not covered on the ruling. Correct ?

Yoshi212

Sadly, EU rules don't apply to this flight. If it was the other direction EU rules would apply. The accommodations should be covered by DL and according to the DL website there is no mention of coverage of food but you might be able to get reimbursed if you have receipts (even credit card statements that show charges). It's worth a try. Also if you had to purchase anything because of lack of baggage you can try to get reimbursed. You were delayed so you should attempt getting some compensation for that also but DL did what they publish. Got you from SAT-MAN with a paid hotel room though sadly almost 24 hours late.

Often1

Despite what some might want to think, the EU (or more particularly the EC), lacks authority in the US. EC 261/2004 has absolutely no application.

If OP files a short (2-3 sentence) webform complaint, he will likely see a few miles as a customer service token. DL won't reimburse food or the purchase of items (presumably one can pack 3-4 days of clothing in carry-on).

ibefly

Are you sure DL wont reimburse consumptions or purchased items? Last time i face a delay with DL they reimbursed my expenses during the delay. Could be because it was answered by KLM in Europe.

PHXflier

If you contact Delta, even if they do not reimburse you for meals or so, they most likely will give you miles for the inconvenience (although this does not do you much good if you do not have a Delta frequent flyer number).