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We were booked to fly to Las Vegas late Sept 2012 with United Airlines for our holidays. Our flight was cancelled when we arrived at the airport. They told us the flight was grounded with technical problems in Washington.
All United could offer as an alternative was a flight with another airline the next day (with two extra plane changes) or a flight with them the next week.
Needless to say we declined and they gave us a standard leaflet explaining how we could claim compensation.
First off we had to really pressurise Expedia to get the cost of the flight tickets back (they kept telling us we should claim it back from United). I explained my contract was with Expedia and it was they who should pay us back and reclaim the money from United. They did refund eventually, but only after a VERY heated argument with an Expedia manager.
However the real struggle was with United Airlines. I emailed them twice to claim my compensation (which is 600euro per person as per Reg EC 261) to which I only got automated replies. I then wrote a very polite (and lighthearted) letter and again got no reply.
After much Googling I found a phone number of their Houston offices and spoke to a very polite American lady who found our emails and letters and gave me a claim number. About 5 weeks had passed at this stage.
I waited, and waited, but still no response, so I read the Regulation EC 261 fully and wrote a threatening letter quoting the Reg plus a complaint to the CAA (who allegedly pursue these claims for passengers). After about 8 weeks we received vouchers worth $300 each for tickets with United to be used within 12 months. I sent them straight back with an angry letter!!
I dug a little deeper on Google and found an address for United's London office at Heathrow Airport. So I sent a 'letter before action' giving them 14 days to respond.
That seemed to do the trick. Just after the 14 days I received an email telling me they had 'reviewed our case and decided we are eligible for compensation' and asking me to reply with our details so they could forward claim forms. I received the claim forms and sent them back just before Christmas.
Yesterday I received our cheques for 600euro each !!!!!
The whole episode took 4 months to receive a compensation that the Regs say should be paid within 7 days!!! But we got there with much determination.
PS: The CAA were little or no help.
All United could offer as an alternative was a flight with another airline the next day (with two extra plane changes) or a flight with them the next week.
Needless to say we declined and they gave us a standard leaflet explaining how we could claim compensation.
First off we had to really pressurise Expedia to get the cost of the flight tickets back (they kept telling us we should claim it back from United). I explained my contract was with Expedia and it was they who should pay us back and reclaim the money from United. They did refund eventually, but only after a VERY heated argument with an Expedia manager.
However the real struggle was with United Airlines. I emailed them twice to claim my compensation (which is 600euro per person as per Reg EC 261) to which I only got automated replies. I then wrote a very polite (and lighthearted) letter and again got no reply.
After much Googling I found a phone number of their Houston offices and spoke to a very polite American lady who found our emails and letters and gave me a claim number. About 5 weeks had passed at this stage.
I waited, and waited, but still no response, so I read the Regulation EC 261 fully and wrote a threatening letter quoting the Reg plus a complaint to the CAA (who allegedly pursue these claims for passengers). After about 8 weeks we received vouchers worth $300 each for tickets with United to be used within 12 months. I sent them straight back with an angry letter!!
I dug a little deeper on Google and found an address for United's London office at Heathrow Airport. So I sent a 'letter before action' giving them 14 days to respond.
That seemed to do the trick. Just after the 14 days I received an email telling me they had 'reviewed our case and decided we are eligible for compensation' and asking me to reply with our details so they could forward claim forms. I received the claim forms and sent them back just before Christmas.
Yesterday I received our cheques for 600euro each !!!!!
The whole episode took 4 months to receive a compensation that the Regs say should be paid within 7 days!!! But we got there with much determination.
PS: The CAA were little or no help.
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