Air France missed connection – compensation?

[ben1]

Hi,

My aunt booked a last minute flight to visit the UK for a family occasion. She was flying from TLV-LHR via CDG on Air France.

The flight yesterday was AF963 / 1380. The flight departed Tel Aviv late, and arrived late meaning the connection was unfortunately missed even though the connecting flight was also delayed and was still at the gate.

As it was the last flight of the day, they put her up in a hotel & put her on a flight today but it meant missing the family event which was first thing this morning.

Would I be right in saying that she is eligible for flight delay compensation as she arrived 12 hours after she was originally supposed to land?

Do I need to pursue this using UK legislation or EU legislation as it’s an EU carrier based in France?

[Anna]

It will depend on the reason for the delay.

[ben1]

Anna wrote:

It will depend on the reason for the delay.

How would I find this out?

[meta]

I believe French ATC strikes are taking place 20-23 March so probably ATC restrictions in which case no delay compensation. Normally strikes wouldn’t be an extraordinary circumstance if under airline’s control, but airport traffic control strikes are extraordinary.

Duty of care still applies. Did they cover meals (I would expect at least dinner and breakfast), phone calls/internet? If she has receipts then she can submit and they have to pay.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

As this flight originated in Israel their regulation also applies.

There are threads on the El Al board on flyer talk that will give you chapter and verse on what their regulation covers.

[ben1]

Thanks. Have taken a look at the Israeli compensation scheme too.

How do I find out the reason for delay?

[JDB]

ben1 wrote:

Thanks. Have taken a look at the Israeli compensation scheme too.

How do I find out the reason for delay?

There is no definitive source – sometimes ExpertFlyer gives a reason but even that isn’t evidence of much, partly since delays can have multiple causes.

As suggested above, whatever the reason AF is fairly likely to ascribe the delay to (third party) strikes. While the onus is on the airline to prove ‘extraordinary circumstances’ it doesn’t particularly help. Essentially, all you can do is to make a claim to AF, see the response and then decide how/where to proceed if they say no. I know nothing of the Israeli rules and how much any compensation compares with UK261 levels but I would be surprised if they too don’t have an exemption for delays outside the airline’s control.

[Lady London]

+1 JDB. I know it won’t feel like this but she is lucky the airline was organised enough to sort accommodation. I hope she got a meal or two provided as well, otherwise if it was an Air France plane (and not an El Al plane unless Israeli rules also give this) she should submit any receipts for meals and any telephone calls or internet she had to pay for, to Air France mentioning duty of care claim under EC261/2004.

She will get no compo as I expect Air France, whether true for any particular flight or not, to say until at least late May, that strikes out of their control caused any problems thus exempting them from paying compensation.

The current issue in France causing strikes etc is protests against a rise in pension age from age 62 to…wait for it… age 64. In May there are several Public Holidays in France many only requiring 1 day, or no days, or very few days to make long holiday weekends or even whole weeks of holiday if a small amount of time taken off from work is added.

Pensions may continue to be an issue causing strikes in France through April including Easter, possibly particularly around April 25th, and on various days in May. Alternatively for mysterious reasons, in most years it seems there are days of industrial action particularly scattered throughout May, for reasons which change.