While most flights go off without a hitch, annoying things do happen. Delays, diversions, busted tray tables, malfunctioning entertainment consoles, and spotty wifi can turn a run-of-the-mill flight into an unpleasant experience. When bad stuff happens, consider asking for compensation like this.
Before we get into the details, keep in mind that airlines are only required by law to compensate you for a few things. Namely, involuntary bumps, unreasonable delays on the tarmac, and lost luggage. Anything else is up to the discretion of the airline. Generally speaking, if they get you where you need to go somewhat safely and in a reasonable amount of time, you don’t have much ground to stand on. Still, it doesn’t hurt to ask for compensation when something goes wrong. They may not be required by law to help you out, but they are interested in retaining customers.
Before you ask for something, however, you need to know what’s worth compensation and what’s not. For example, someone reclining their seat in front of you, nasty turbulence, being forced to sit next to human flatulence, and them running out of your meal option are not things you should expect compensation for. Sorry friend, those come down to bad luck. But broken arm rests, dysfunctional headphone jacks, unplanned flight diversions, and flight attendants handing out peanuts when you specifically mentioned that you’re allergic might be worth asking about. This is especially true if you have any kind of elite status with the airline. They’re more likely to compensate members of their loyalty programs.
When something goes wrong, make sure to document the issue as much as possible so you can clearly explain what went wrong and why it was so problematic for you. Write down what happened and include your name as listed on your boarding pass, take photos, and be sure to include important flight information, like your departure date, flight number, departure and arrival airports, and baggage tag numbers.
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When it comes to the big legacy carriers like American Airlines, Delta, and United, readers at The Points Guy suggest these are some of the best ways to ask for compensation:
- Ask a flight attendant: Flight attendants may be able to offer you some sort of compensation right on the spot. It may be a free meal or drink, or even crediting airline miles to your account. For example, American Airlines flight attendants are starting to use a tablet-based program called iSolve which allows them to easily offer in-flight compensation. Is the wifi out? Have a broken tray table? Is there an obnoxious passenger sitting next to you? Say something!
- Tweet at their customer service account: While a good ol’ fashioned letter or email might do, tweeting is almost guaranteed to get you some kind of response. Airlines don’t want unaddressed complaints about them floating around the public space, so they’ll often try to handle those issues quickly. Reach out to American, Delta, United, and others on Twitter with a quick, calm description of the problem. Try not to get too heated. You might be angry, but nobody wants to help out an irrational person.
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If things aren’t moving forward, be sure to follow up on your request. Remember, you often won’t receive anything in terms of compensation unless you ask. Airlines don’t want to hand out free points and credit, so be proactive when you think you deserve something. And while never hurts to try, don’t expect much when you ask for compensation unless something violated the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fly Rights.
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