If you’ve landed on this page, it’s probably because you’ve found yourself let down by Ireland’s second largest carrier. You feel frustrated and you’re seeking Aer Lingus flight delay compensation.
Although Aer Lingus were voted ‘most improved airline’ by Forbes in 2018 and achieved a respectable 4 stars in Skytrax’s ranking, sometimes airlines slip up.
And, when they do slip up, causing flight delays, cancellations and overbookings, we’re here to make sure they are held to account.
YOU can be sure that if Aer Lingus have disrupted your journey, WE will help you to secure the flight delay compensation you are entitled to.
Here at ClaimCompass we have tons of experience fighting for the underdog. We use our airline passenger law expertise to secure a win every time.
So, if Aer Lingus should be sending money your way, we will use our exceptional know-how to make sure it ends up in the right hands.
Using this guide you will be able to:
Launching a claim for Aer Lingus flight delay compensation may seem like a daunting task. You’re probably expecting it to involve hefty research and a mass of paperwork.
However, if you choose ClaimCompass, we will take care of all of the tricky stuff to make sure the process is smooth and successful.
All you need to do is enter your flight details into our free compensation calculator and in no more than three minutes you will find out if you’re eligible to receive compensation.
Once you’ve discovered your eligibility, the next steps may seem intimidating. After all, you're dealing with the flag carrier airline of Ireland.
And to make things worse, unfortunately many passengers who seek compensation through the airline directly are often unable to obtain the money they are rightfully owed.
This is because sometimes airlines can be economical with the truth.
Using ClaimCompass removes all the stress, bother and long waiting times. Our extensive experience and compensation claim success rate proves we will not back down until you receive the compensation you are owed.
We cut through the nonsense and legal jargon to make sure that your Aer Lingus flight delay compensation claim is an easy ride.
You might be entitled to up to 600€ from the airline!
The EU Regulation 261 (EC261) was introduced in 2004 to protect air passenger rights from being violated when travellers experience air travel disruptions such as long delays, cancellations and overbookings.
It is therefore the airline's responsibility to deliver compensation to customers if:
- Their flight is delayed by at least 3 hours
- Their flight departed from the EU or arrived in the EU
- Their flight delays were not caused by extraordinary circumstances (EC)
The EC261 defines extraordinary circumstances as unforeseen situations that the airline had no control over. These circumstances include:
- Extreme weather conditions (low visibility, snow storms, extreme wind)
- Union and worker strikes
- Bird strikes
- Airport closures
- Medical emergencies
Conversely, delays due to technical faults with the plane do not fall under extraordinary circumstances and therefore also entitle you to Aer Lingus flight delay compensation.
In accordance with EC261, Aer Lingus flight delay compensation is calculated by the distance of the flight, so the compensation amount for flight delays is:
- 250€ for flights of 1,500km and below
- 400€ for flights over 1,500km in the EU, and between 1,500km-3,500km everywhere else
- 600€ for flights not covered in the above categories
Be careful not to overlook the exception though! If a flight is delayed by between 3-4 hours on flights 3,500km and over, compensation will be halved, leaving you with 300€ rather than 600€.
Passengers are entitled to an Aer Lingus refund for flight delay if their flight has been delayed at departure for at least 5 hours.
Don’t forget, your passenger rights to refund are entirely separate from your passenger rights to compensation, so you can get your hands on both!
This means you can get an Aer Lingus refund for flight delay when your flight leaves 5 hours late, and flight delay compensation when you arrive 3 or more hours late too.
When your Aer Lingus flight is cancelled, if eligible, under EC261 you are entitled to either a:
- Refund of your tickets, or
- Rebooking on another flight
While the Irish airline generally looks to rebook passengers onto another flight, you do not have to accept the new flight arrangements organised by the airline if they are not suitable to your travel plans.
Due to EC261 regulations, passengers must fulfil certain requirements to receive Aer Lingus flight cancellation compensation. These eligibility requirements are:
- If you were not informed of the flight cancellation or you were informed less than 14 days before the flight
- If the airline rebooked you on an alternate flight and you reached your final destination at least 2 hours later than the estimated arrival time
You are NOT eligible for flight cancellation compensation when:
- You initiated your flight cancellation
- The airline informed you of the cancellation 14 days or more in advance
As stated in the EC261, the amount of the flight cancellation compensation a passenger receives with Aer Lingus is based on a few different factors, these include:
- The length of the passenger’s intended journey
- The length of time the flight was delayed by when you reach your destination (if Aer Lingus reroutes you)
- How far in advance you were notified of the cancellation
Generally, in line with the EC261, the compensation amount for flight cancellations is between 125€ (£105) and 600€ (£500).
However, the process of determining your eligibility for cancellation compensation, and how much you will receive is a rather long and complicated process.
We can help here, simply use our free calculator, and you’ll know the score in no time!
Overbooking can happen for a number of reasons, and unfortunately unlike competitor Ryanair, Aer Lingus does allow for overbooking, although it is a rare occurrence.
No matter, if you find yourself bumped on an overbooked flight, EC261 has your back once again and outlines the following criteria for compensation:
- You were prevented from boarding the plane due to overbooking
- You did not offer voluntarily to give up your seat, or accept alternative compensation or benefits not planned by EC Law, and
- You arrived on time for flight check-in
- You had all of the necessary travel documents, the correct flight number and valid reservation
The amount of the denied boarding compensation you are entitled to for flight overbooking is the same as that for flight cancellations.
If you are denied boarding, Aer Lingus will offer the following choices:
- Rerouting - this option comes in two forms. Either as soon as a flight becomes available or a delayed rerouting preferable to you, subject to seat availability, or
- A refund of the cost of the ticket, to be paid either in cash, by electronic bank transfer or cheque.
Further to this, you will be reimbursed for the parts of the journey you were unable to make, and those you have already completed, if the overbooking disrupts your original plans.
When applicable the airline will also reimburse you for a return flight to your original point of departure.
In addition to your reroute or refund, if you are forced to stay at the airport for more than 2 hours, you are entitled to the following free of charge:
- A free meal and refreshments
- Access to some form of communication (telephone, email, fax)
- Accommodation if your flight is delayed by more than 6 hours or you are required to stay at the airport overnight
- Transportation between the accommodation provided and the airport
To contact Aer Lingus customer service, simply dial:
EC261 requires airlines to respond to complaints within 6 weeks of receipt. It outlines that if the airline fails to do this, or you are unsatisfied with their response, you should send the original complaint form to the national enforcement body.
If you want to make a complaint about the airline, you can contact Aer Lingus’s customer relations team by:
- Submitting a new Post Travel Enquiry form, or
- Submitting a Case Update form
However, in recent years the airline has been slammed for poor communication with its customers, leaving complaints and compensation requests ignored for months.
Our study showed that passengers who submitted a compensation claim against Aer Lingus with ClaimCompass receive their compensation in 62 days on average, which is an improvement compared to the previous year.
IATA code: EI
ICAO code: EIN
Did you know Aer Lingus is Ireland’s national carrier? While this is true, their competitor Ryanair, is Ireland’s largest airline and delivers twice as many passengers to their destinations each year.
They have a fleet of 54 aircrafts, and fly mostly A320s (34), with their largest airbus being the A330-300.
Interestingly, all of Aer Lingus’s aircrafts are named after saints, some of these include, St Munchin, St.Laurence O’Toole, St Ronan and St Patrick.
The airline’s main hub is based in Dublin, which operates around 860 flights each week. Although Dublin airport is the biggest base, Aer Lingus also has hubs in Belfast, Shannon and Cork.
In 2016, Aer Lingus introduced its updated frequent flier program ‘Aer Club’. As a relaunch of its old program ‘Gold Circle’, the new program includes a four tier membership. This is determined by points based on the frequency of passenger travel and money spent with the airline.
The tiers are divided into, Green, Silver, Platinum and Concierge. Each tier includes benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding and complimentary upgrades.
The airline’s luggage allowance authorises one piece of cabin luggage limited at 10kg and measuring at 55cm x 40cm x 24cm. An additional piece of hand luggage measured at 25cm x 33cm x 20cm is also allowed.
There is no publicly available data regarding Aer Lingus’ on-time performance since the beginning of 2018. For this reason, we could not give a rating to Aer Lingus in this category. You can check our airline ratings section to get more info on the best and worst airlines in the world!
On its website, the airline claims that “Aer Lingus has been confirmed as the most punctual major airline departing Dublin Airport for flights to Europe in each of the 12 months of 2016”.
Note that this doesn’t reflect their performance since then, nor does it mean that the airline is the most punctual for flights departing from other airports in Europe.
Aer Lingus isn’t part of the most cooperative airlines when it comes to processing their passengers’ claims for delayed or cancelled flight, but it isn’t among the worst ones either, as the data below suggests.
The main issue with the Irish airline lies in their slow response time. They send their statements about passenger claims with delay, resulting in a long processing time: cases are closed in about 100 days, more than the industry average.
Generally, passengers can file a claim for compensation up to 5 years after their original flight.
However, a number of factors are taken into consideration, these include:
- Where your flight took off
- Where your flight landed
- The country’s legislation on the prescription period to submit a claim.
In Ireland and the UK you can claim for compensation as far back as 6 years.
Yes, you are entitled to Aer Lingus missed connection compensation if the airline is responsible for your journey’s delay, leading to your missed flight and your tickets are registered under the same booking number.
Note that this last bit is super important: if you booked your tickets separately, you won’t be eligible for compensation.
If all your flight tickets have the same booking number (or PNR), it means that you booked them together and you could get compensated by aer Lingus.
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