Despite its name, American Airlines also operates in Europe. Because of that, if you face any qualifying delay or cancelation while traveling in the EU, you are covered under EC 261. There aren’t regulations like that in the states, and here’s all you need to know to file a claim.
What are Your Passengers Rights with American Airlines?
EU 261 protects your rights, regardless of the airline that you’re traveling on, as long as you’re in the European Union or meet other qualifying circumstances. Depending on the circumstances of your delay or cancellation, you have the right to a refund, rerouting, and care, including meals, accommodation, and more.
Flight Delay Compensation
When your flight is delayed more than two hours, you are entitled to basic care, including meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation and transportation (where applicable), and access to communication. If your delay is three hours or more, you can also request reimbursement and transportation to your point of origin.
You are also entitled to compensation, which can be paid as a non-fundable transportation voucher or refundable voucher.
- Flights up to 1,500 km: €250
- Flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km: €400
- Flights over 3,500 km: €600
Flight Cancellation Compensation
You may be entitled to additional compensation if you were notified of the cancellation less than two weeks before the departure and your new arrival and departure times are significantly different than your original times.
You’ll need to contact customer service to receive your compensation, which can be issued as non-refundable or refundable vouchers.
- Flights up to 1,500 km: €250
- Flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km: €400
- Flights over 3,500 km: €600
The amount may vary based on the type of compensation you request, and you might get a better value when you choose their transportation credit.
Calculate your compensation
What to Do in Case of Delays or Cancellations?
Unfortunately, cancelation and delays happen. Here’s all you need to know.
Delays
- If your flight is delayed, take note of your original departure time, the date of which you were notified, and any other information that is relevant.
- If your delay is two hours or more and you’re already at the airport, you are entitled to care. Work with customer service to receive meals, refreshments, accommodation, transportation, communication, and more, though what you are entitled to will depend on the length of your delay.
- After you get to your final destination, contact customer service to receive additional compensation. Depending on the length of your flight and the destination, you could be eligible for up to €600 in compensation.
Cancellation
- If your flight is canceled, take note of your original flight, the date you were notified, and any other information that could be helpful.
- If your cancelation occurred before you arrived at the airport, work with customer service to rebook your flight or rebook it yourself.
- If your flight was canceled while at the airport, work with customer service to help get you on the next available flight. If you are entitled to care, they should offer it to you at this point.
- Following your flight, contact customer service for additional compensation, providing all documentation. You could receive up to €600 in compensation.
American Airlines Refund Policy
If your American Airlines flight has been cancelled or delayed while travelling in Europe, you could be eligible for compensation under EC 261 in addition to a refund from the airline. Depending on the leg of your journey, you could receive a full or partial refund from American Airlines.
On top of that, EC 261 protects you from avoidable issues, so you can file a claim. As long as your flight was delayed two or more hours or cancelled within 14 days of your original departure, you are eligible to receive compensation of up to €600.
Recently Disrupted American Airlines Flights
| Date | Airline (Flight number) | Route | Status | Your compensation |
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About American Airlines
American Airlines is a behemoth, with 917 aircrafts in its fleet. It connects passengers to more than 350 destinations worldwide in 50 different countries. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, it also has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago-O’hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix-Sky Harbor, and Washington-National,
They’re part of the Oneworld alliance, so if you need to get somewhere else, they can help you. When you look at the fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the revenue per passenger mile, American Airlines is the world’s largest airline, dedicated to getting you where you need to go.
American Airlines Disruption Statistics
| Year | All Disrupted Flights | Cancelled Flights | Delayed Flights |
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Conclusion
As long as you’re flying American Airlines and your flight departs from a qualifying airport, you could be eligible for compensation under EC 261. The above outlined all the qualifying circumstances to help you file a claim, and now all that’s left to do is contact their customer service team for assistance. This page was updated on June 2023.