Flight delay or cancellation compensation claim (Greece)

Published byDocMuse

The claim to an airline for compensation under Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — 250, 400 or 600 euros per passenger, by distance — when a flight arrived three hours late or more, was cancelled without timely notice, or the passenger was denied boarding. It gives the flight and booking details, the other passengers, the expenses incurred and the IBAN, and asks for payment in money, not vouchers. It goes to the airline first; for flights from Greek airports, the next step is the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΑΠΑ), the Regulation's enforcement body.

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Common questions

How much compensation is due for a delayed or cancelled flight from a Greek airport?

250 euros for flights up to 1,500 km, 400 euros for flights within the EU over 1,500 km and for other flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km, and 600 euros for all others (art. 7 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004). For a delay, the right arises from three hours' late arrival, under the case law of the EU Court of Justice. If the airline offered another flight that arrived only a little later than the original, the sum may be cut by 50%.

Where does a complaint go in Greece if the airline will not pay?

For flights departing from a Greek airport, to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (ΑΠΑ), the national body enforcing Regulation 261/2004, using the EU complaint form with the flight documents; the claim to the airline goes first. The ΑΠΑ also covers flights by EU airlines from outside the EU into Greece; for a flight from an airport in another member state, that state's body is competent. If the airline still refuses, the claim goes to court — as a small claim for sums up to 8,000 euros.

When does an airline owe no compensation for a flight from a Greek airport?

When it proves that the delay or cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken — weather that prevents the flight, or an air traffic controllers' strike, for example. An ordinary technical fault is, as a rule, not extraordinary. For a cancellation, nothing is due either if the passenger was told at least 14 days before.

Can the airline pay the compensation for a flight from Greece in vouchers?

Only with the passenger's signed agreement. Under art. 7(3) of Regulation 261/2004, compensation is paid in cash, by bank transfer or by cheque; in vouchers or other services only if the passenger signs to accept them. That is why the claim asks expressly for payment to the IBAN and says that vouchers are not accepted.