The air passenger’s checklist

Before you travel

• Buy tickets directly from the airline. A booking made through an intermediary (e.g. Kiwi, MyTrip) may in fact be several separate contracts of carriage, which can limit your right to compensation.
• Check your booking reference. If every flight has the same booking code or e-ticket number, it is one journey.
• Start and finish your trip at Tallinn Airport if you can — this keeps the option of suing in an Estonian court.
• Prefer European airlines (e.g. Lufthansa, SAS, LOT/Nordica, Finnair, airBaltic, KLM) — it makes later claims easier.
• When choosing a package holiday, pick one where the carrier is an EU airline.
• Arrange travel insurance early and make sure it covers flight disruptions. Insurance payouts do not depend on flight compensation.

At the airport, when plans change

Go straight to the service desk of the airline responsible for the flight and ask for:

• meal vouchers proportionate to the waiting time;
• two free phone calls or emails if you wait more than two hours;
• a new free ticket to your destination if the flight was cancelled, you missed a connection or you were denied boarding;
• free accommodation with transfers if you must wait overnight;
• written confirmation of the disruption and its cause.

Ask the crew what caused the delay and listen carefully to the captain’s explanation — the real cause can affect your right to compensation.

Documents and expenses

• Keep all documents related to the trip and the disruption and take good-quality photos of them.
• Pay for flight-related expenses with your own bank card — it makes the costs easier to prove.
• If you meet several disruptions on one journey, you may be entitled to several compensations.

Baggage

If your baggage is damaged, delayed or lost, file an official report at the airport immediately. The claim must be made within 7 days for damaged baggage and 21 days for lost or delayed baggage. Attach your boarding pass, baggage tag, receipts and photos; photograph your suitcase before handing it over.

Was your flight delayed anyway?

Check for free whether you are entitled to compensation — it takes 2–3 minutes.

Check my flight for free