Denied compensation for over 3-hour delay on American Airlines (page 2 of 2)

Following up on my previous message, here’s the corresponding link: https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/02/18/american-airlines-flight-makes-emergency-landing-at-heathrow/

Hi everyone, I’m bumping this thread because I need some advice. Our flight from Basel to Phoenix via London was canceled 9 hours before departure. We were rebooked on a Zurich–Phoenix flight via New York, but due to extreme weather conditions in NY, our flight was delayed, and we missed our connection (when it rains, it pours!). We arrived more than 8 hours after the originally scheduled time. I tried contacting American Airlines through their online form, but there’s no space for a detailed message or to upload supporting documents for compensation. I then emailed customer.relations@aa.com, but I got this response: You’ve reached a mailbox that is not monitored by American Airlines.

To ensure a consistent and transparent experience, all inquiries related to travel disruptions on American Airlines should be directed to our Customer Relations team by submitting a request through our contact form here. And we’re back to the same form with no way to explain the situation properly. I thought about sending a registered letter, but I’m worried it’ll take even longer to process. What do you all think?

Hello, Most of the time, even with exceptions, you need to be *very* patient when dealing with this type of case! With rare exceptions, the proper way to proceed is by sending a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. You mentioned that the originally scheduled flight departed from Basel. More precisely, this refers to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg. It’s important to note that this airport is ENTIRELY located on French territory. What’s called the "Swiss zone" at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is merely the result of a Franco-Swiss police and customs agreement—nothing more. Therefore, under the application of EU Regulation 261/2004, the French local court with jurisdiction over EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is the competent authority.

You didn’t specify the reason for the cancellation of the first flight segment. However, the only reason that will matter is the one the airline provides in writing. That said, it will be more appropriate to claim compensation for the flight cancellation (the cancellation of a connecting segment counts as cancellation of the entire flight) rather than for the delay, if the re-routing offered did not meet the requirements of Article 5 of Regulation 261/2004:

Article 5 Cancellations 1. In the event of a flight cancellation, affected passengers: (..) c) are entitled to compensation from the operating air carrier in accordance with Article 7, unless they are informed of the cancellation: (...) iii) less than seven days before the scheduled departure time if they are offered re-routing allowing them to depart no more than one hour before the scheduled departure time and to reach their final destination less than two hours after the scheduled arrival time. End of quote. You’ll notice that in this case of cancellation and re-routing, the threshold is only 2 hours (compared to 3 hours if you file your claim under delay).

You can address your claim to the airline that was supposed to operate the first flight segment, as well as to any other airline that was supposed to operate another segment. See here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/

You’ll find templates to follow here: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com

On the other hand, if you lack patience, with rare exceptions, it’s not even worth starting. Best regards,

Thanks so much for the clear and detailed response. To answer your question, I don’t know the reason for the flight cancellation. I just received an email saying the flight was canceled without any further explanation. I checked, and indeed, the entire flight was canceled.

I sent my claim to American Airlines (the airline I booked through) with a description of the facts and attached the supporting documents as indicated on your site. I actually got their response pretty quickly—they basically asked me to file this claim with the airline that canceled the flight, namely British Airways, as well as the one responsible for the delay on the first leg, United Airlines.

As you said, you’ve got to be patient and not throw in the towel after the first negative response.

I’ve read and reread Regulation (EC) 261/2004 and the site https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/

I’m a bit confused about my compensation and would love your input. My flight was canceled and:

I was notified less than 7 days before departure.

The airline offered me a rebooking that would get me to my final destination 3h30 after the originally scheduled time.

Theoretically, compensation for cancellation would be 600 €, but it would be reduced by 50% because the scheduled arrival time of the rebooked flight exceeds the original time by less than 4 hours (for my flight over 3,500 km). However, my rebooked flight ended up experiencing a real delay, and I had a total delay of 8h40. (disastrous weather conditions) My question: Is it better to claim compensation for cancellation (risk of a 50% reduction) or for delay (but with the concern that weather conditions might disqualify me from compensation)? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Just adding to this: Since I bought my flights with American Airlines / the canceled flight was the first leg operated by British Airways / Our rebooking was operated by United.

Naturally, it’s not straightforward. One airline is late with the cancellation, the other with the delay...😕

Hi there,

You’re only entitled to compensation if your connecting flight (the whole journey) departed from the European Union. All the answers to your questions can be found in this example: https://retardimportantavion.wordpress.com/2024/01/12/reacheminement-catastrophique-droit-indemnisation-meme-circonstances-extraordinaires-2/

Best regards,

I also had a five-hour delay, which was a really bad experience. I’m sure I won’t be using this service again in the future. My wife was really upset about the delay, especially since there were no apologies or compensation from the company.

I also had a five-hour delay, which was a really bad experience. I definitely won’t be using this service again in the future. My wife was really upset about the delay, especially since there were no apologies or compensation from the company.

Hello,

The right to compensation, as outlined in Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament and Council, only applies under the conditions specified in Article 3, including:

"Scope

1. This regulation applies:

a) to passengers departing from an airport located in the territory of a Member State subject to the provisions of the treaty;

b) to passengers departing from an airport located in a third country and arriving at an airport located in the territory of a Member State subject to the provisions of the treaty [...] if the operating air carrier performing the flight is a Community carrier.

Best regards,