# Flight Delay Compensation > Work out whether a delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flight likely owes you compensation — and draft the claim with the right rule cited. Use when asked about flight delay compensation, my flight was cancelled/delayed/overbooked, am I owed money for this flight, or how do I claim EU261. Produces an eligibility read against the likely-applicable regime (EU261/UK261/US DOT-style and airline duty-of-care), the amount band, the claim letter with flight details, and the evidence to attach — flagging what to verify because rules and thresholds change. - Skill: `mohitagw15856/flight-delay-compensation` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add mohitagw15856/flight-delay-compensation` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mohitagw15856/flight-delay-compensation/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: Mohit Aggarwal (https://skillmd.com/u/mohitagw15856) - Updated: 2026-09-07 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mohitagw15856/flight-delay-compensation --- # Flight-Delay Compensation Airlines rarely volunteer that you're owed money — but for long delays, cancellations, and bumpings, passenger-rights rules often require cash compensation *on top of* a refund or rebooking. The catch is the fine print: which regime applies (where you flew from/to and the airline's home), the delay thresholds, and the "extraordinary circumstances" get-out. This reads your situation, gives a likely-eligible verdict and amount band, and writes the claim — while being honest that thresholds change and must be verified. ## What This Skill Produces - **The eligibility read** — which regime likely applies (EU261 / UK261 / US DOT-style / other), and whether your delay, cancellation, or denied boarding probably qualifies - **The amount band** — the rough compensation range for your distance/delay, plus refund vs rebooking rights, and duty-of-care (meals/hotel) for long waits - **The claim letter** — flight number, date, route, scheduled vs actual times, the specific rule cited, and the amount requested - **The evidence & the escalation** — boarding pass, booking, delay proof, the airline's stated reason — then the ADR/regulator/claims route if they refuse - **The verify list** — thresholds, sums, and "extraordinary circumstances" that change and must be checked against the current official rules ## Required Inputs Ask for these if not provided: - **The flight** — airline, flight number, date, full route (from → to), and any connections - **What happened** — delayed (how many hours at final destination), cancelled (how much notice), denied boarding/overbooked, or missed connection - **The times** — scheduled vs actual departure/arrival - **The reason given** — weather, technical, staffing, strike, "operational" - **Where you are based / flying from** — this drives which regime applies ## Framework: From "Owed?" to Claim 1. **Pin the regime.** Compensation rights hinge on departure/arrival country and the airline's base — establish which rule set likely governs before anything else. 2. **Measure at the *final destination*.** Delay compensation usually keys off arrival delay, not departure — and connections count end-to-end. 3. **Separate the entitlements.** Refund/rebooking, duty-of-care (food, phone, hotel for overnight), and cash compensation are *different* rights — you can be owed more than one. 4. **Test the get-out.** "Extraordinary circumstances" (severe weather, air-traffic control, security) can waive cash compensation; technical faults and staffing usually don't. Match their stated reason against this. 5. **Cite the rule, request the sum, keep it factual.** A letter that names the regime, the threshold you meet, and the amount is far harder to fob off — and flag anything you couldn't verify as "to confirm against current rules." ## Output Format ### Flight [number] · [date] · [from → to] · [delayed/cancelled/bumped] **Likely regime:** [EU261 / UK261 / DOT-style / other] · **Cash compensation likely?** [yes / borderline / probably not] — because [threshold + reason test]. **You may be owed** - Cash compensation: ~[band] (verify current sum) - Plus: [refund or rebooking] · [duty-of-care if long wait] **Claim letter** > [Flight, date, route, scheduled vs actual times, what happened, the rule cited, the amount requested, "evidence attached"] **Attach:** boarding pass · booking confirmation · proof of delay/cancellation · the reason the airline gave **If refused:** [supervisor / airline complaints → ADR or the relevant aviation regulator → small claims or a claims service] **Verify against current rules:** exact thresholds, compensation sums, and whether their stated reason counts as "extraordinary." ## Quality Checks - [ ] Identifies which regime likely applies from the route and airline - [ ] Measures delay at the final destination, not departure - [ ] Separates refund/rebooking, duty-of-care, and cash compensation - [ ] Tests the airline's stated reason against the "extraordinary circumstances" carve-out - [ ] Amounts and thresholds are given as bands and flagged "verify current rules" - [ ] The claim letter includes flight details, the rule, and a specific amount - [ ] An escalation path (ADR/regulator/claims) is included ## Anti-Patterns - **Asserting an exact payout** as fixed — sums and thresholds change; give a band and say verify. - **Confusing a refund with compensation** — they're separate rights. - **Measuring departure delay** when the rule keys off arrival. - **Accepting "weather/operational" at face value** without testing whether it truly waives compensation. - **Vague "your flight was late, pay me"** with no flight number, times, or rule cited. ## Example Trigger Phrases - "My flight from Paris landed 4 hours late — am I owed EU261 compensation?" - "Airline cancelled my flight with one day's notice. What can I claim?" - "I got bumped off an overbooked flight — write me the claim." - "Missed my connection because the first leg was delayed. Am I entitled to anything?" - "They blamed 'operational reasons' for a 5-hour delay — does that count?"