Why Is My Flight Delayed? Common Causes and Compensation Eligibility

Have you ever shown up at the airport and found out that your flight has been delayed or canceled? Then you and I, my friend, know that it’s the worst feeling. Flight disruptions cause stress and even more unpleasant feelings followed by the anxiousness of not knowing when or how you will reach your destination. What is worse, sometimes you even have to change your plans because of a flight delay. All that precious time and sometimes even money lost… But do keep in mind that you can get compensated for your troubles.

However, have you ever wondered why exactly flights get delayed? This article will discuss 5 of the most common reasons for flight delays. 

Adverse weather conditions

Weather is probably the most common reason for flight delays. And by weather I mean those dangerous storms, thick fog, heavy snowfall, or strong winds that make you want to stay home and hide under warm blankets. As you could have guessed, all of it makes it dangerous to operate an aircraft. Airlines always put passenger safety first, so if the weather’s bad, they often have no choice but to delay the flight. Unfortunately, when a flight gets delayed due to bad weather conditions, there is no entitlement for compensation as it is not something that airlines can control or prevent. Oh well… 

Technical reasons

If not bad weather, technical issues is another common reason for flight delays. There is no doubt that a flight will get delayed if there is any, even the smallest kind of problem with the aircraft. Airplanes need to be constantly maintained and repaired and it is the airline’s responsibility to ensure that there are no issues with the plane. Fixing the problem can take a long time and if it is something that cannot be repaired quickly, the passengers might even need to leave the aircraft altogether and go to a different one. Of course, it causes all the extra stress, but if a technical problem occurs in time for your flight, caused delay is the airline’s fault. In these situations, you are entitled to compensation. What a good news!

Security reasons

If there is a terrorist threat, national or international political conflicts, or other similar events that put passengers, flight crew, or anyone in danger, air traffic control and the flight authority in the country can decide to delay a flight. In such cases, airspace is closed or strictly limited, meaning that flights cannot operate freely. Flight delays due to security reasons do not grant entitlement to compensation. I think you would agree with me that it is better to get your flight a bit delayed than to risk becoming part of the news’ story.

Operational reasons

Flight delays can also be caused if certain operational procedures are not going according to the schedule. How about that? This can include passengers boarding and disembarking the plaine, baggage handling, cleaning and refueling aircraft, etc. The airline has to make sure that all these procedures are following a tight schedule. And, most importantly, are being performed according to the safety regulations. If anything goes wrong even the slightest, it can cause serious delays. However, there is a drop of good news. If your flight is delayed because of operational reasons, you are entitled to compensation. 

Employee strikes 

Employee strikes are not that uncommon in the aviation industry. Strikes can happen for various reasons – wish for better wages and better working conditions is one of them. This can also cause significant delays. The European regulation counts this as an extraordinary circumstance, meaning that airlines are not entitled to compensate passengers for delays that happen because of employee strikes. 

It is truly unfortunate when your flight gets delayed, believe me. But there is one thing to remember – if your flight gets delayed because of operational or technical reasons, you are entitled to compensation! Contact Skycop.com and we will help you sort everything out!

 

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