To eliminate all doubt, you can just give ME the cash.

I think this is pretty simple.

You were travelling for business and were inconvenienced. If you got your business things done, then that's where it ends in terms of money to or from your company. AA paid for the hotel and associated expenses, so you don't need to claim anything from your employer for that. The EU261 compensation is clearly defined as an inconvenience payment to you (and not your company), which therefore belongs to you. I don't really see what ethics have to do with this case. If a stranger gave you a gold chain during your trip, would you have to give it to your company because you were travelling on 'their time'? Of course not.

There was an earlier comment about defrauding Australia...what possible relevance does a country on the other side of the world have here? Even if this did occur in Australia, how would the country be defrauded by what was described here? There is no 'fraud' by the definition of that word.

I find it relevant, because it is an example of how an entity/organization (in our case the Australian Government, but it could also apply to a corporation) views this kind of practice. I don't think it's a very good example though.
I agree. The definition of fraud, as stated in that law, was: ‘dishonestly obtaining a benefit by deception or other means’. In this case, I don't think the benefit (cash) was obtained dishonestly. This benefit is paid in full accordance with the EU law; there is no deception to speak of.

Still, to avoid costly fraud investigations in Australia, I would advise that all EC 261 compensations paid to Australian officials be handed over to me. You're welcome, mates ;)

But we agree that this could not fall into the category of fraud, since the OP correctly received compensation according to the laws of (in this case) the EU. She's not defrauding her company, the airline, or the member states of the EU. The cited example of Australia would not even apply if she lived there and was on a flight from LHR to SYD.

Yes, this is definitely not a fraud.

Getting reimbursed for the hotel and then getting compensation from the airline.

That's not double dipping. EU261 has nothing to do with her hotel expenses.

Do you mean getting reimbursed for the hotel and having the OP's company pay for the hotel? In that case, it would be double dipping and the OP would be right not to charge the hotel to the company.

If, however, the OP lets the airline pick up the tab for the hotel as well as EU 261, while charging nothing to their company, then I don't see the problem.

Mike

As the posters above mention, it's very clear from OP's statements that there was no hotel reimbursement involved. The hotel was covered by the airline.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I was quoting you and the other poster to agree.

Ok, I misunderstood. I thought it was covered by his employer.

I'll change my opinion--he doesn't owe anyone anything.

I'd report it to your boss by email and ask how to handle it.

If they ask for it back (which I don't think they will), you can refuse. But.... you could get in trouble if you don't report it.

No, you can't.

Why? It's none of the boss's business anymore than what she had for breakfast that morning.

Ask for what back? The EU261 money? It's not theirs to begin with. You can't 'get in trouble' for it! Do you even understand what EU261/2004 is about?

Flight was supposed to get me home on Friday but I arrived on Saturday instead - more of an inconvenience to me rather than my business. I don't recall expensing anything extra because of the extra day of travel.

Thanks all for the input.

Apersonal check with a short memo to the boss. If he elects to return it all to you, great. If not, for a small sacrifice you will be a hero.
The reason I propose the above is just in case your boss and his bosses do pocket such things but don't want to make it a " policy"
Decades ago I used to work for a Fortunr top five company. I don' eat or drink much so even though I spent $8-9 on dinner, I would claim $12' withtrepedition !
Got a call from the boss, though I was in trouble.....he said to claim around $ 15-17 for dinner as otherwise I was " pulling down everyone's average ". !

Go figure.

Are you serious? After nearly 60 posts we're still talking about cutting cheques to our employer? This isn't the employer's money. As OP says in the post to which you replied, OP doesn't "recall expensing anything extra because of the extra day of travel."

It's not the company's money (or the boss's) to start with. EU261 compensation is based on the notion of inconvenience to the passenger. The company is not out of pocket, nor was it inconvenienced. The money squarely belongs to the employee and the employee has absolutely no duty whatsoever to report anything to anybody.

It would make you an idiot at most of the places I've worked and someone to henceforth be regarded with suspicion.

Absolutely, in no way whatsoever should this money be given to the employer :confused: The employer has not been inconvenienced in any way! It's not like they said, oh we accidentally overcharged you for the ticket, so here is $700 refund in which case it definitely would be wrong to keep the money.

The only ethical problem would be if the employer made you give the money to them which I also think would be illegal!

what he said

if yes, then is your job worth the amount of the VDB

if no, then its yours, no question required

Name three.

Three? I'd love to see a single example of a travel policy that specifies that government-mandated personal compensation must lawfully be handed over to the employer.

I agree. I've worked in government, private sector and non-profit none have ever required personal compensation be handed over. I'd even question whether they could legally.

I worked for a large company (535 locations) a few years ago. I took a VDB on the way back from a trip and got a $300 voucher plus as I was paid overtime until I arrived home, I billed the extra hours.

Looking back, I realize this was not a smart move. I think if I were the OP I'd talk to my immediate supervisor and see what their opinion on it was. Chan of command and all.

It's not fraud at all. I was paid until I got home. I didn't bill for any time after getting home. Not did I misrepresent why I got home later. It was unprofessional and dishonest, but fraud is not the correct term.

How about " an unjust windfall" ? looks like you had your cake and ate it too ?

Oh I concur. But it was at a time in my life when I was really good at justifying why everything was everyone's fault but mine. Thankfully, I grew out of that phase.

A concur. When I travel for business and I get vouchers for meals I use them. If I got a free hotel I always took it, but lately the quality of hotel and sleep I get (and occasions that actually grant them) makes me prefer to get a hotel room comparable to a normal stay and just expense it. Since there was no additional expense and the payment is for inconvenience, not for expenses incurred due to delay, the OP is entitled to this payment. I'd run it through HR just in case because word travels fast in my company even when you tell no one. If I incurred hotel and food costs I'd probably turn in the money.

I had a WX issue cause me to fly into ELM instead of ITH. I got a rental car (that I wasn't allotted for this trip otherwise) and submitted the receipt to Delta. Delta paid, I never submitted that receipt to work. If Delta hadn't paid before I submitted, I would have turned the check over to my company after the fact. Not worth being fired over $140.

I have no qualms about expensing meals/hotel/parking after legitimate delays, but ->

If I VDB'd I'd consider everything beyond what I usually would have expensed on my own....except parking. I do break up parking if I have a couple personal days in a business trip, but the way the parking is charged usually doesn't factor in unless it's a whole 24 hour delay.

That is a sick idea. This kind of logic assumes that you are a slave. Many employers think that way on many fronts not only travel. But at the end of analysis - this is slave-owner mentality.

The intent of the law presumably is (1) to compensate the person suffering the delay; (2) provide civil penalty/incentives; (3) force airlines to improve their operations which airlines for years failed to do; (4) recognize that passengers are human beings with life plans, commitments and obligations.

Yes the windfall is rightfully kept by the employee.
If the employer desires compensation for damages caused by the delay inflicted on its employee - they can ask independently - but not under that specific law.

Providing you weren't originally schedule to arrive home in time to go to work, then it's all your personal inconvenience. If you would have worked that day (even partially), then it's also your employer's loss.

Keep it. It's your time and you were inconvenienced. The company paid for the business trip and you fulfilled your responsibility. Life on the road isn't easy. This helps even things out a little.

Hear, hear !

Non-issue. The company isn't involved in any part of the delay transaction. It sounds like you didn't bill extra expenses from Ireland or bill a client for extra travel hours that weren't working hours. I don't even see how this approaches an ethical issue.

The only time "double-dipping" (to use the upthread term) would come into play would be if you took the $700 and then turned around and billed your employer or client for an extra per diem, extra night hotel expenses, or above-normal travel hours (if that's applicable in your case).

I used to take VDB's all the time coming home from business trips. We didn't bill our travel hours and I was always careful to record the per diem amount of the "normal" trip only. (In other words, if I took an overnight VDB, I didn't bill any per diem.) Although this is more akin to IDB than VDB, as long as the client was billed correctly, it is not an ethical issue.

This is one of those threads that makes me feel like I have entered crazy world.

The employer sent you on a business trip at a known cost to accomplish a specific business purpose. If that business purpose was accomplished at the planned cost and no additional costs were incurred, then whatever else happened is financially irrelevant to your employer from an objective standpoint.

Happened to me last year on the outbound leg.

As it was a a day of my work trip I lost, I used the EU261 compensation to write off a portion of my expenses.

Wouldn't do the same if it was on the inbound and I lost out on part of my weekend though

My experience is that most companies have convoluted ways of putting money back into their expense system ... you spend more on time trying to give the money to the company, than the actual value of the money.