American Airlines / Aer Lingus EU261 Compensation
Hi,
I am trying to get some information as to whether I am eligible to claim compensation for a home bound flight (possibly under EU261).
The situation is that we booked our flights (Business Class) directly with Aer Lingus.
- Outbound - DUB->MCO
- Inbound - MCO->PHL->DUB
It was our inbound arrival to Dublin that was delayed by over 6 hours.
The flight from MCO to PHL was operated by American Airlines. The PHL->DUB was to be on Aer Lingus
The inbound plane from PHL to MCO was delayed by many hours, hence our flight being delayed. This meant we missed our connection in PHL.
What happened was that we were rebooked Economy seats on a later AA flight to LHR and then onto DUB. So downgraded on the trans-atlantic flight and an additional connection in London adding up to the 6+ hour arrival delay.
There were weather issues which I am guessing may be the reason for the delays.
We had additional expenses for a meal in London and we had to rebook our bus from Dublin to home in Belfast.
I put a claim in to Aer Lingus. Their response was that it is not their responsibility, but American Airlines as the operating airline for the flight that caused the problem (are they right in this?).
At MCO, AA did very little to help us. They could have put us on the EI120 direct to Dublin (there were economy seats available), but this wasnt offered.
Can anyone who knows about these things advise whether I am due a claim for any of the delay, the class downgrade or the additional expenses we incurred?
Thanks