If you’ve landed (get it?) on this page, we expect it’s because Delta Air Lines haven’t been up to scratch and you’re seeking Delta flight delay compensation.
While Delta may be in the top 20 airlines in the world, and named the best airline in 2019, WE know that no airline is perfect, and things can always go wrong.
And don’t worry, while Delta is one of the largest airlines in the world, we’ll make sure these titans face up to the consequences of flight delays, cancellations and overbookings.
WE are here at your service to make sure that when your air travel experience leaves something to be desired, you get the compensation YOU deserve.
Here at ClaimCompass we’re the pros at making sure that passengers of Delta don’t get screwed over. We use our expertise in passenger law to make sure your compensation claim is a success.
US regulations don’t always safeguard passenger rights when they're faced with flight disruption.
However you can be sure that if Delta should be sending money YOUR way, WE’LL make sure it ends up in your hands!
This guide will show you:
- How to claim compensation from Delta
- How to go about submitting your claim
- The difference between US and EU regulations
- How much compensation you can get for delayed, cancelled or overbooked flights
How Do I Claim Compensation for a Delayed Delta Flight?
Navigating air passenger rights can be mind boggling. Especially when it comes to US regulations and American airlines.
Far too many US passengers are convinced that they are not entitled to Delta flight delay compensation.
ClaimCompass are here to tell you that your compensation claim is valid, and we’ll make sure that you come out triumphant!
All you need to do is use our free compensation calculator, and in 3 minutes or less, you’ll know exactly what compensation you’re entitled to!
Once you’ve discovered your eligibility, you may think it’s plain sailing - but you’d be wrong.
Many passengers who go it alone with their compensation claim, often don’t get what they’re owed!
ClaimCompass will make sure that you avoid all that frustration and disappointment. Choose us and we’ll take care of everything quickly and efficiently!
Check your flight in 3 minutes
You might be entitled to up to 600€ from the airline!
Delta Delayed Flight Compensation
Does Delta compensate for flight delays?
The US Department of Transport (DOT) outlines that for domestic flights:
“Airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or cancelled”.
This is because US airlines do not “guarantee schedules”. Therefore when it comes to air passenger rights in the USA, it is entirely up to the discretion of the airline whether they’ll compensate you.
If Delta has a delayed departure from an EU airport that lands in the US, under EC261, you MAY be eligible for Delta Air Lines flight delay compensation.
In order to qualify for Delta delayed flight compensation, you must arrive at your final destination at least 3 hours after you intended.
So, for example, if your flight from London, Heathrow to Atlanta arrived 3 hours after it was meant to, compensation could be coming your way!
If you are eligible, under EU law, you could receive up to 600€ ($660). The compensation amount for flight delays is calculated by distance, so:
- 250€ for flights under 1,500km
- 400€ for flights over 1,500km in the EU and flights from between 1,500km and 3,500km elsewhere
- 600€ for flights not explained by the two options above
Take note though, if your flight ends up being delayed by 3-4 hours and more than 3,500km, unfortunately your compensation will be reduced by 50%.
However, you are NOT eligible for compensation for your delayed flight if:
- Your flight took off in the US and touched down in the EU
- You were on a domestic US flight
- Your flight was delayed by under 3 hours
You will also NOT be entitled to flight delay compensation if the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances (EC).
EU regulation outlines extraordinary circumstances as situations the airline has no control over. These circumstances include:
- Bad weather conditions
- Runway or airport closure
- Political instability
- Security risks
- Bird strikes
Airlines sometimes try and get out of paying compensation by including technical faults under this bracket.
Mechanical issues and technical problems ARE the airline’s responsibility so you will still receive Delta flight delay compensation.
What if i missed my connecting flight due to Delta flight delays?
If you miss your connecting flight due to your first Delta flight being delayed, you may be eligible for missed connection compensation.
In order to qualify for this compensation BOTH flights must be booked under the same booking number (PNR).
What to do when my Delta flight is delayed?
If you find yourself dealing with a delayed flight, you may be wondering what your options are.
There are a few steps you should follow to make sure you receive all you are entitled to:
- Keep all of your travel documents, they will be essential for your compensation claim.
- Inquire with a Delta agent what the cause of the hold up is, and get try to get it in writing
- In line with right to care, after a 2 hour delay you can ask for refreshments or a meal voucher
- Is your Delta flight delayed overnight? The airline must provide you with accommodation, and transportation back to the airport the next day
- Delta may even offer a rebooking of your flight depending on how long you are delayed by. But remember if this rebooking doesn’t work for you, simply ask for a refund of your ticket for the original flight
- If you do accept the airline’s rebooking make sure to keep an eye on the time. If your flight arrives 3 hours after your original flight, you can launch a compensation claim.
How long does a Delta flight have to be delayed to get a refund?
Delta flight delay refund policy is in line with EU policy if your flight takes off in the EU.
Correspondingly, if a passenger experiences delays of 5 hours or more, they can ask for a full refund of their ticket. This can be paid either by cash, bank transfer or, cheque.
And remember, passenger rights to refund are unconnected to rights to compensation.
Accordingly, if your flight has not taken off 5 hours after it was scheduled to, you can claim a refund. Plus if you arrive 3 hours late at your final destination, you can claim flight delay compensation as well.
Have you ever had a delayed flight with Delta Air Lines in the past 5 years? Check out if you’re eligible to compensation!
The airline may owe you up to 600€: it takes less than 3 minutes to find out!
Delta Cancellation Compensation
What happens if my Delta flight is cancelled?
Just as with flight delays, US regulations do not protect passengers in the case of flight cancellations.
However, if your flight takes off in the EU, EC261 still applies. This means that passengers with either be offered:
- A refund of their ticket or,
- A rebooked flight
In order to be eligible for these options, passengers meet the following requirements:
- They were not informed of the cancellation, or were informed less than 14 days before the flight or,
- Their flight was meant to take off in the EU and land in the US
The airline should offer to rebook you on the next available flight with no added cost. However, if they do offer this, your compensation claim may be affected, both in terms of your eligibility, and the amount of cancellation compensation you will get.
The amount of Delta cancelled flight compensation you will receive is calculated by the distance of the journey and the length of your delay.
For flights:
- 1,500km or less you will receive €250
- Between 1,500km and 3,500km you will receive €400
- Over 3,500km you will receive €600
When it comes to flights over 3,500km you can get:
- €600 if your flight never came
- €600 if your rebooked flight meant you arrived at your final destination over 4 hours late
- €300 if your rebooked flight meant you arrived at your final destination less than 4 hours late
Of course this is all very confusing. So, if you want to cut straight to the answer, use our free calculator to find out exactly what you are owed!
What is Delta’s flight cancellation policy?
Delta’s flight cancellation policy outlines:
- There is no fee for cancellation regardless of ticket type within the first 24 hours of purchasing a ticket
- After the first 24 hours, this changes. For basic economy fare, once the risk free period of 24 hours passes passengers are not permitted cancellation
- Non-refundable tickets will be charged a $200-500 cancellation fee
- Flex or refundable tickets can simply cancel their tickets and request a refund
Delta Overbooked Flight Compensation
Does Delta overbook their flights?
While frustrating, sometimes Delta will overbook a flight. When this happens the airline has a plan in place so that gate attendants have a list of people willing to offer up their seat in advance.
As the passenger checks in they will be asked the price of the travel voucher they would be willing to accept to give up their seat.
Those who answer with the lowest bid will end up on the list to be bumped from the flight.
Can I get a denied boarding compensation for an overbooked Delta flight?
Luckily, compensation for overbooking is one area that US and EU regulations both agree on.
Therefore if you find yourself bumped due to overbooking you WILL be entitled to compensation. However, you must NOT:
- Give up your seat voluntarily
- Agree to alternative compensation with the airline
Additionally if you were denied boarding due to not producing the correct travel documents, you will also NOT be entitled to compensation.
However, compensation amounts for overbooking differ between US regulations and EC261.
Under US passenger rights, your compensation for overbooking is calculated in relation to ticket price:
- If your flight arrives at its final destination an hour later than your original flight, you are entitled to NO compensation
- If your domestic flight experiences delays of up to 1-2 hours, or your international flight has delays of 1-4 hours you will receive 200% of your one-way fare
- If your domestic flight is delayed by over 2 hours or your international flight is delayed by 4 hours or more, and Delta doesn’t organise an alternative flight, you will receive 400% of your one-way fare
Under EC261, the amount of overbooking compensation is calculated the same way as cancellation compensation. The airline will deliver:
- 600€ ($660) if Delta didn’t organise an alternative flight or your rearranged flight arrived 4 hours after it was meant to
- 300€ ($330) if your rearranged flight arrived under 4 hours late
Delta Customer Service
What is the customer service number for Delta?
If you want to contact Delta Air Lines customer service by phone you can do this by calling:
- 1-800-455-2720 or,
- Their non-toll-free number 404-765-5000
The customer service team can also be reached by dialling your local number.
If you want to make a complaint or comment simply say ‘complaint’ or ‘comment’ when asked the nature of your phone call.
How to email Delta customer service?
If you want to email Delta customer service, you can access these services by visiting their comment/complaint page.
Does Delta have a live chat?
While Delta does not have a live chat, you can get in touch with the customer service team via their social media accounts.
On Twitter the airline uses @Delta, and on the Delta Air Lines Facebook page the team typically replies to messages within 2 hours.
IATA code:
DL
ICAO code:
DAL
Did you know that Delta Air lines is the most awarded airline in the world? They took home the title of best U.S airline of 2019 from the Wall Street Journal, as well as ranking number one on Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Airline list.
The airline delivers over 200 million passengers to over 300 places in 50 countries each year.
Delta has its headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., but also has hubs dotted all over the US. These include, L.A, Detroit, Cincinnati, Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul. Salt Lake City, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Seattle.
It also has international hubs in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Amsterdam.
The airline has a frequent flyer program called SkyMiles which was established in 1981. The program is divided into parts, the general SkyMiles membership and Medallion Elite membership.
The latter is divided into 4 levels, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Both come with benefits like priority boarding, free cabin upgrades and lounge access.
Delta allows passengers to bring one piece of carry-on luggage and one personal item.
The dimensions of the carry-on luggage are 56cm x 36 x 23. The personal item whether a briefcase or purse should fit under the seat in front of you.
Delta Ratings
The tab below provides specific data regarding the airline's on-time performance. It includes the amount of flights operated by the airline each month, which portion of these flight arrived on time (i.e with less than 15 minutes delay), which portion consists of delayed flights, and the average delay of their flights in minutes. Source: Flightstats.com
Number of flights
On-time (<15 min delay)
Delayed (15+ min late)
Average delay (in min)
Average
161024.77
84.6%
15.4%
68.76
Sep 2019
158974
88.99%
11.01%
63.20
Aug 2019
180039
83.38%
16.62%
70.70
Jul 2019
176672
82.00%
18.00%
78.70
Jun 2019
171652
79.87%
20.13%
73.70
May 2019
168715
86.43%
13.57%
67.40
Apr 2019
162825
85.02%
14.98%
74.60
Mar 2019
168290
86.27%
13.73%
66.50
Feb 2019
136979
80.33%
19.67%
76.30
Jan 2019
151121
84.22%
15.78%
74.90
Dec 2018
152597
86.65%
13.35%
64.60
Nov 2018
149603
82.12%
17.88%
61.40
Oct 2018
161476
87.79%
12.21%
59.90
Sep 2018
154379
86.74%
13.26%
62.00
Only 16% of Delta’s flights arrive late (15 minutes or more after the scheduled arrival time): this performance is very good compared to the rest of the industry.
However, overall, the average delay is a whopping 69 minutes, one of the worst performances all airlines included.
Delta Air Lines’ flight performance is above average, with a rating of 6.5.
When it comes to processing flight compensation claims, Delta is moderately efficient. You can take a look at the table below to get an idea of how fast they deal with compensation claims:
Average number of days for the airline to reply once the claim is submitted
25.2
Average number of days to solve the claim
81.9
Average number of days to pay the compensation after the case was sent to court
It takes on average more than 3 weeks and a half for Delta to provide a statement on claims - a performance slightly below industry average.
The US airline is, however, performing a bit better than the average to close a claim, in about 11 weeks and a half.
The rating of 5.0 reflects this average performance in compensation claim processing by Delta Air Lines.
FAQ
What are my rights for a tarmac delay with Delta?
Once you’ve climbed aboard your plane, eager to set off, you expect it to take off without delays, however this is not always the case.
Sometimes issues arise leaving your plane motionless and you impatient. As stated by U.S Department for Transport, the tarmac delay rule is only valid in a U.S airport.
If your plane is delayed on the tarmac for 2 or more hours, Delta must provide you with food, access to a toilet and medical assistance if you require it.
After 3 hours spent delayed on the tarmac in the United States, Delta staff must give passengers the option to get off the plane. This goes up to 4 hours outside of the US.
Why is my flight with Delta delayed?
Unfortunately, like every airline, sometimes Delta does have flight delays.
When delays do happen though, this can be for a number of reasons including:
- Technical issues
- Worker strikes
- Air traffic control issues
- Bad weather
However, under EC261, you can claim Delta flight delay compensation if:
- Your flight took off in the EU and landed in the US and,
- Your delay was NOT due to extraordinary circumstances
How to check flight delays with Delta?
If you’re worried that there might be delays on your Delta Air Lines flight, then there are a few different ways you can find out.
Most airlines now offer a live flight tracker map, and so does Delta Air Lines where you can check that everything is on time!
Alternatively you can call the toll-free phone number +1 800-325-1999.
