Compensation for US to EU flight delayed by 6 hours
 

Hi everyone,

I hope you can help with this. Two friends of mine are booked on a flight this evening on Norwegian Airines flying from LAX to Stockholm non-stop .

The flight has been delayed by 6 and a half hours.

I can see on Norwegian's website that it says under passenger rights: "If you’re involuntarily denied boarding, or your flight is cancelled or delayed by 3 hours or more on arrival due to reasons within our control, you'll be entitled to the following compensation:" For flights over 3,500km it says this should be 600 Euros per person.

Does anyone know if this is for flights both arriving and also departing the EU?

In this case, would my friends be able to claim this compensation?

And last of all (sorry for all the questions) would the compensation be paid in cash/check instead of airline vouchers?

Thank you very much in advance for any help you can give!

As Norwegian is an EU based airline, it applies for flights both to and from Europe. There are limitations, it needs to be a delay caused by events within the control of the airline, so e.g. a weather related delay is not covered. It is often debatable what constitutes extraordinary circumstances that gets the airline off the hook of compensating. And,Norwegian tend to start by rejecting the claim.

Browse the forum here for advise, and go to the BA forum to read the very comprehensive thread about compensation under the EU regulations. That will help you understand whether or not compensation could be applicable. Point number one to clarify, what is the cause of the delay. (inbound aircraft being late is not a reason, look for the reason the inbound plane is late)

Even if they offer vouchers, the passengers have the right to insist on cash/bank transfer etc.

EC 261/2004 applies because DY is an EU "community carrier". Delay is measured at arrival, not departure. How long the departure is delayed is irrelevant.

OP is due compensation of EUR 600 so long as the delay is 4+ hours at ARN and is not caused by an "extraordinary circumstance" (whether the delay was within DY's control is not necessarily relevant). In addition, DY owes OP a "duty of care" to cover reasonable meals during the 6-1/2 hours (these could also be provided via voucher).

Payment is due in cash or cash equivalent and is most often paid by bank transfer. But, one could insist on a check. It will typically be paid in EUR or the currency of the departure or arrival country.

One is free to accept travel vouchers, but the only reason to do so is if the offer is greater than the cash offer and one intends to fly DY again within the allotted time period. Thus, if DY offers EUR 800 in vouchers of EUR 600 in cash, the vouchers may be a very good offer if you use DY. But, read the terms of the vouchers carefully. They may be extremely limited and you may be extremely disappointed.

Thank you for the replies everyone, very helpful. I will pass on the info.

Also, Often1: I think that the delay on arrival only needs to be over 3 hours, at least this is what Norwegian say on their website. I may be wrong!

3 hours is 300 euro, 4 hours 600. For long haul.