Real cases, not generic advice

The excuses airlines use
(and which ones actually hold up)

If your flight was cancelled or delayed for hours, the first thing you'll hear is an excuse. Some are legitimate and leave you without a right to compensation. Most aren't. Before you believe the excuse, enter your flight below and find out in seconds if you're actually owed compensation.

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"It was bad weather"

It's the most common excuse, and also the easiest to make up. In several cases we documented, the airline blamed bad weather while other flights operated normally at the same airport, at the same time. If that happened with your flight, it can be challenged with real weather data (METAR/ATIS reports from that moment). Bad weather only excuses the airline if it genuinely prevented operations, not just because it was the easiest excuse to give.

"Your claim was rejected"

Many airlines reject claims automatically on the first attempt, without actually reviewing the case. It is a tactic, not an evaluation. In one case we documented, the passenger received a generic rejection and only got paid once they explicitly cited Regulation (EC) 261/2004 in their claim. A first "no" doesn't mean you have no right. Sometimes it just means you didn't push with the correct legal argument.

Is this happening to you right now? Stop wasting time arguing with them.

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"You need to file with the regulator"

True in some cases, but some airlines use this as a delay tactic, knowing the regulator's process can take months and that many passengers give up before reaching the end. Being redirected to the regulator isn't necessarily bad news, but it does mean you need to be willing to follow the process through, not just start it.

"The regulator ruled in my favor but the airline still won't pay"

This happens, and more often than it should. We documented a case where the regulator ruled in the passenger's favor and the airline still hadn't paid months later. Winning with the regulator doesn't automatically guarantee payment. Sometimes one more step is needed to actually collect.

"The form doesn't work / won't accept my details"

This isn't always a coincidence. We documented claim forms that errored out consistently, or name fields that wouldn't accept the passenger's real name. If a portal "won't let you" file a claim, try a different channel: email, a formal letter, or a route other than the one the airline suggests first.

Are you owed compensation? Enter your flight and find out in seconds, free.