FAQ

There are three main factors that will determine your eligibility for flight compensation:

1. A flight disruption occurs

In order to eligible for flight compensation, you will have had to experience a flight disruption in the last 6 years. This can include delays, cancellations or if you were denied boarding due to an overbooking. The disruption will mean you arrive to your destination late, or not at all. 

2. The flight was travelling from the EU or UK and/or was with an EU or UK airline

Not only will the flight have to be disrupted, it would need to comply with the EU/UK regulation. This requires it to have departed from a country within the European Union or UK. As PIA is not an EU airline, departing from the EU or UK is the only way it would be eligible for flight compensation.

3. The airline is at fault for the flight disruption. 

The airline must be responsible for the flight disruption. Example of this include, technical malfunctions, airline staff strikes, operational issues and more.

Any flight that has left a country belonging to the European Union or UK. Other countries that are protected are Iceland, Switzerland or Norway.

You may be entitled to compensation if your first leg of your flight departed from the EU or UK and was delayed, causing you to miss your compensation. The operating air carrier must reschedule your connecting flight. Furthermore, they must arrange accommodation if the next possible flight is the following day. If this is not possible and you make your own travel and/or accommodation arrangement, keep your receipts. Submit your flight and provide information and we can do the rest for you.

If we are unsuccessful at getting your compensation, you will pay us nothing. This is because we work on a no win no fee basis. Our charge will only be taken upon a successful claim. We will deduct our fee from the compensation before payment is processed into your account. This way you will never receive and invoice or ever be out of pocket.

Yes, you can. It is difficult to seek compensation independently and PIA will often reject the claim if you do not know the correct process and policies. When this happens, you can fill in our claim form and provide all the information you have received from the PIA- this includes the reason why PIA declined your claim. If the PIA had no reason to reject the claim, we will proceed with the case and work to get your compensation.

Yes, you can. It is more important to know the departure/arrival airport, exact flight date, flight number and reservation number. Although, sometimes PIA asks us for more information which is why we ask you to submit your flight documents (boarding passes, tickets, etc) as well. These documents are vital if PIA rejects the claim; if we do not have documentation, we may be unable to proceed with the court case.

Yes. Normally, the value of compensation given by the airline is less than what you are entitled to under the EU Regulation (EC) 261:2004 or the UK equivalent. So, if you have already received compensation by receiving a gift coupon, money etc., you may still be entitled to further compensation. However, it might be reduced, as it would depend on the value of the compensation you have already received.
If you have received compensation of any kind, you must notify us about it, including about any documentation you might have signed when accepting the compensation.

If PIA refuses to pay you compensation, we will review all your flight-related material and the reason for the flight disruption. From there, we will contact you to discuss our next steps. If necessary, we will seek legal action.

Unfortunately, we currently do not seek lost baggage compensation.

Yes, a passenger’s nationality does not affect their compensation claim. The EU Regulation (EC) 261:2004 and UK equivalent protects all passengers; if a PIA passenger departed from the EU/UK and faced flight disruption, they may be eligible for flight compensation.

Yes. Regardless of who purchased the ticket, the passenger who has the ticket with their name on is the one who can claim compensation.

Unfortunately, as PIA is a non-European airline, you will not be eligible for flight compensation. For PIA passengers to get be eligible for compensation, they would have to have departed from the EU or UK and experienced a minimum of a three-hour delay, have a cancelled flight or were denied boarding due to overbooking the flight.

While PIA is not a European airline, if it departs from an EU-registered country or the UK it follows the EU/UK regulation that allows passengers to claim compensation.

Someone else bought my flight ticket for me. Who should file the claim?

In every case, the beneficiary is the person who travelled/ was due to travel. Even if the ticket was purchased by someone else, such as an employer, you are the person who experienced the inconvenience of the disrupted flight, so it should be you who fills in the claim form and gets the compensation.

The money transferal into your account should normally have no cost.  However, if your banks impose any fees, we are not responsible for this and we will not cover any of these charges or administration fees.

Throughout the process, we will send regular alerts (thought text, email or post depending on your preference) at each stage of the claiming process so that you are up to date with information. If you would like further clarification or details, then you can contact us via email or calls.

PIA will directly transfer it to us, we will take our agreed stated charge and will transfer it to the preferred currency to the bank account provided. If you wish for the flight compensation in a currency other than sterling, a currency conversion fee may apply.

If you are not sure whether you are entitled to compensation, the best way to check is calling us or emailing at info@piadelayed.co.uk and we will happily answer all of your questions and confirm whether you have a valid flight delay.

It is a unique combination of 6 letters and numbers. This will be on your e-ticket or documents that confirm your flight booking. If you cannot find your ticket, it will have been previously sent of other documents. Our recommendation is to thoroughly check your inbox, including the junk box, for emails that confirm ticket payment, reminders, etc. These letters will often contain the booking number. 

No, we are an independent flight claim company whose purpose is to gain compensation for PIA’s passengers. However, we are not affiliated with Pakistan International Airlines.

There are several circumstances in which the airline is within their rights to reduce your compensation by 50%. You can find below most of these circumstances:

-          If your flight path has a distance over 3500KM and the delay duration is between 3-4 hours.

-          If your flight was cancelled and you were informed between 7-14 days prior to the original departure date.

-          If your flight was cancelled/you were denied boarding and rescheduled onto an alternative flight. If the alternative flight allows you to reach your destination with a delay between 2-3 hours in respect of flights with a distance between 1,500KM - 3500KM or 3-4 hours in respect of flights with a distance exceeding 3500KM.

The EU261 compensation rules are still in force in the UK.  EU261 was adopted into UK law after Brexit, so exactly the same rules apply as before.  Wherever the EU261 rules were defined by the EU (e.g. flight must depart from an EU country, an EU airline), they apply equally to the UK.  E.g. flight must depart from an EU country or the UK, an EU or UK airline.

The UK government may change the UK regulations in the future, but they have not done so as yet.

In every case, the beneficiary is the person who travelled/was due to travel. Even if the ticket was purchased by someone else, such as an employer, you are the person who experienced the inconvenience of the disrupted flight, so it should be you who fills in the claim form and gets the compensation.

The delay must be the airline's fault.

You will likely not receive anything if the delay was outside of the airline’s control. Airlines are allowed to refuse compensation payments for what is described as “extraordinary circumstances”. These include:

• Sabotage or terrorism

• Industrial actions by workers such as baggage handlers and air traffic controllers that are not employed by the airline

• Civil or political unrest

• Extreme weather

 There are several cases that are not classified as “extraordinary circumstances”. These include: 

• Late arrivals of the pilot or crew

• Airlines international staff strikes

• Technical aircraft problems, excluding hidden manufacturing defects.

In order to claim compensation under the EU or UK equivalent Regulation, you must either depart from the EU/UK or travel with an EU/UK airline. As Pakistan International Airlines is not an EU airline, to be eligible for flight compensation it would need to depart from inside the EU. This means we cannot get compensation from any flight that departs from Pakistan.

If you have to wait for a replacement flight, depending on the length of the delay, the airline must pay for refreshments, phone calls or emails, and accommodation (including hotel transport) if delayed overnight. The airline can provide refreshments in the form of vouchers. 

The qualifying length of delay for replacement flights depends on the flight distance. If it is less than 1,500km, the qualifying delay is 2 hours, whereas if it’s over 1,500km and for flights within the EU/UK, this increases to 3 hours. For flights between 1,500km and 3,500km between EU/UK and non-EU countries, the delay is 3 hours, and for flights over 3,500km between EU/UKJ and non-EU countries, it’s 4 hours. 

If the airline does not provide accommodation and meals immediately, make sure you keep your receipts so you can claim for these expenses later.

You can also claim for compensation for the inconvenience that taking a replacement flight causes. This ranges from €125 to €600 depending on the distance of the flight and the time difference between the replacement flight and the flight that was cancelled. You are entitled to compensation for flights that depart at least 1 hour earlier than the original flight or arrive at least 2 hours later than the booked flight. You can claim between €125 and €600 depending on the flight distance and when the replacement flight lands compared to the booked flight arrival time. 

Below are the three simple steps to working with us: 

1. Submit the details of your claim to us. By doing this you will get a good idea of whether you are entitled to compensation and just how much that might be. 

2. Our specialist team will then thoroughly check your entitlement, working closely with the involved authorities and contacting the airlines on your behalf.

3. After your case is won and we receive your payment of compensation, we will transfer it directly to you with the fee for our services subtracted. If we do not win compensation for your claim, you will not pay anything.

The EU Regulation (EC) 261:2004 and UK equivalent state passengers suffering a delay are entitled to accommodation, refreshments and food depending on the details of your flight and its disruption. Passengers also have the right to 2 telephone calls, emails or faxes. Should it be required, an overnight stay in a hotel must be provided by the airline, as well as transportation to and from the airport.

If a flight delay is longer than 5 hours, passengers are entitled to a partial or full refund and a return flight back to the origin of your departure if required.

Should you be offered a different flight and benefit from a ticket upgrade, the airline is not allowed to charge you for this. However, should your ticket be downgraded on the alternate flight, you can be reimbursed for a percentage of the original price you paid.

Flight compensation and cash vouchers

Always check that any travel vouchers offered by the airline don’t waive your rights to put in a flight delay claim before you accept them. The Regulations state that compensation must be paid by either by electronic transfer, cheques or cash unless the passenger specifically chooses a travel voucher for an alternative flight instead.

The standard compensation rates for delayed flights are as follows:

• Flights up to 1,500km delayed for 3 hours or more: €250 

• Flights between 1,500km and 3,500km delayed for 3 hours or more: €400

• Flights over 1,500 km between 2 EU/UK member nations delayed for more than 3 hours: €400 

• Flights between EU/UK and non-EU airports, over 3,500km, delayed between 3 to 4 hours: €300

• Flights over 3,500km delayed for 4 hours or more between EU/UK and non-EU airports: €600

All these amounts are fixed and are not dependent on the cost of the ticket. If air miles and other discounts were applied to the ticket or passengers, including infants who paid a small admin fee to fly, the full compensation is still payable. Compensation is there for the time and inconvenience caused by delayed flights.

If the flight is delayed for 5 hours or more, you don't have to take the delayed flight. If you choose not to fly, you are entitled to a full refund of the flight ticket, including any onward flight tickets for the same journey. If you are part way through your flight journey, you can claim for the cost of a flight back to the airport you started the journey from.