Originally Posted by
Passmethesickbag
I was booked on the 0745 flight LHR-IAD a couple weeks ago with a connection to BOS. First announcement from the captain was about good winds and early arrival, second was about a warning light coming up and a part needing to be replaced.
It's impossible to say without having the full details, but that most likely negates the EU compensation requirements - or at least, that's what United will claim (and possibly correctly).
In general, "Safety" issues are exempt from the compensation requirements, so as long as UA didn't know about the failure in advance, and as long as they can in some way consider it a safety concern, then all bets are off.
It's a nice loophole for the airlines, but also one that obviously needs to exist.