Malaysian16

HA HA

NickB

No. This applies to cancellations, not delays, and then only if the extraordinary circumstances 'could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken', which would not apply if AF was at fault.

OTOH, there is no right to compensation in case of delay, just to assistance (food+accommodation,telephone calls) and reimbursement if you choose not to fly.

Jerene

It all boils down to wheter AF was at fault or not. Were they?

Jerene
(too lazy to try to investigate)

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Edited to add url and quote from my original source:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4267095.stm

"What if my flight is delayed?

When a flight is delayed, the airline may be obliged to supply meals and refreshments, along with accommodation if an overnight stay is required.

Whether you qualify will depend on the length of the flight and the delay.

For example, for flights of 1,500km or less where there is a delay of more than two hours, a passenger should be given meals and refreshments, along with two free telephone calls, e-mails, telexes or faxes.

If the delay is for five hours or more, passengers are also entitled to a refund of their ticket with a free flight back to your initial point of departure if this is relevant.

Any catches?

Yes.

Airlines won't have to pay compensation if the reason for delays or cancellations was due to "extraordinary circumstances".

Emma65

This is true.

However - is this an "extraordinary circumstance"? Flights being delayed for same reason have been somewhat frequents since 9/11. Shouldn't airlines be responsible for making sure that people not fit to travel to US are denied boarding access so planes aren't delayed? Wouldn't it be in their own intereset as the extra fule needed, the landng cost etc, isn't cheap?

Just my 0.02 dollars

NickB

Again, if we are talking of a delay rather than a cancellation, there is no compensation under the directive, period.
All you are entitled to is food+accommodation (where relevant)+telephone calls and, if you elect not to fly, reimbursement if the delay exceeds a certain duration and, if in transit, a flight back to origin.
All of this is irrespective of whose fault it is.

The extraordinary circumstances issue is only relevant when a flight is cancelled rather than delayed.
The basic idea behind it is whether or not the cancellation is due to events which are outside the control of the airline and that the airline could not take reasonable steps to avoid/circumvent. What is 'reasonable' in this context is anybody's guess.

greggyfroggy

The flight had first to come back before taking off due to a bad balancing of its load. After cargo re-arrangement it took off again and the rest has been well documented in the news...

Threy

The question is what defines a cancellation and what a delay...

As pointed out earlier I was on NW 55 in late May scheduled to leave AMS bound for MSP around 4.30 p.m.

Flights was not cancelled, but postponed until 09.30 am the next day !!

IMO, although departing on the same flight number such a 17 hour "delay" is more a cancellation of the service than a simple delay