Flight delay compensation

[Lushmetender]

We were delayed coming back from St Lucia by 16 hours due to an ill pilot and not having anyone to fly it back till next morning. We've been refused compensation- anyone been successful with this type of claim?

Get advice on flyer talk (ba thread) or money saving expert

My understanding is that they will only pay out if it is proven to be due to a repeat or preventable event; as the airline can't be responsible for a pilot being ill I'd have thought you'd struggle to get a payout.

Look on moneysavingexpert for template letters as that sounds like it is within the rules where you are due compensation. They are supposed to have pilots on standby to come in quickly if one becomes ill.

Same for problems with planes. They are supposed to have capacity so they can come up with another plane quickly.

Which airline? Think compensation applies only to EU-based airlines if flight originates outside the EU.

Have you formally requested compensation - I.e. quoting the EU regulations? Our KLM flight from Russia in April was cancelled and we ended up being put on one 11 hours earlier

We used MSE's Resolver tool to claim compensation. KLM took ages to respond but did eventually pay full compensation (which came to pretty much what we'd originally paid for the flights).

Oh, that's interesting. I've always been curious about one of ours. Booked through a travel agent to go to the US via Frankfurt. Told it was with Lufthansa but, actually, the German-American leg was with United. We were delayed on our return and ended up home over 8 hours late. I've never claimed as, well, these things happen. But not sure if I could in that case.

It was British airways and have formally applied. I understand they cannot claim exceptional circumstances unless I'll en route.

They are supposed to have pilots on standby to come in quickly if one becomes ill

Pilots are kept on standby for lots of reasons and I think the 16 hours was a reasonable delay given the pilot would have had to get to St Lucia in order to fly the plane back. It sounds as if the pilot was on the first available flight. Its not as if he or she turned up 3 or 4 days later.

My DD had a flight cancelled by Flybe as the plane wasn't working and they didn't have another one. I was actually very impressed that they coughed up the whole price (minus the price of the original flight) of a massively more expensive flight with another airline to get her to her destination.

I would have thought they would have to pay compensation in this case. Surely it is up to them to provide another pilot or get you on another flight.

They are supposed to have pilots on standby to come in quickly if one becomes ill

But they did provide another pilot and considering the flight from Heathrow is approx 9 hours they had the pilot there pretty quickly.

So lets say 90 mins to report to ops or check in from where he was - at home probably given they know they only have a certain amount of time to get to the airport. Then a general check in time. Then the flight time. We're looking at about 12 hours total where things were actively going on in order to get the pilot there.

Are people actually suggesting that spare aircraft crews should be kept wherever an airline flies in case someone gets sick?

Yep, just about to bank the cheque I got from Thompson actually. Was very easy as luckily I kept my booking paperwork. My flight was delayed 8 hours to Egypt way back in August 2011...has taken nearly 7 months to get the cheque though.

It was British airways and have formally applied

Then ask on the BA flyertlk thread as per previous advice.