Delta Cancelled Flight Compensation EU (How Much I Got Paid!) -

Is your flight delayed or canceled in the EU? What kind of compensation can you get when flights are canceled in the EU? What kind of compensation are you eligible for when flights are delayed in the EU? The good news is the EU has a generous flight compensation policy.

My flight from Paris to New York was delayed and then eventually canceled. The flight was canceled due to a mechanical issue. I was able to file a claim for compensation as well as I got an overnight hotel reimbursement plus a food voucher for dinner.

Keep on reading to find out how much I got compensated by Delta Airlines for the canceled flight!

What to Do When Your Flight is Cancelled in Paris

My flight from Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK) was canceled due to a mechanical issue. Below is a step-by-step of what to do when your flight is canceled in Paris.

I will go over exactly what happened to me when my flight was canceled, how I rebooked my flight, my overnight stay at a Paris airport hotel, how to file for compensation from Delta Airlines, and how much compensation was received from the airline for the flight cancellation.

Step 1: Rebook Flight

The first thing you do when your flight is canceled in Paris is to rebook your flight. Typically, the airline will automatically rebook you on another flight.

But in our case, we lined up at the airport gate desk to find out what our rebooking options were because we heard from other passengers that they were getting rebooked to Newark instead of JFK.

I didn’t want to fly to Newark because my Uber ride home would increase from $120 to $240! I wanted to fly back to JFK.

The Delta Gate customer service representative rebooked us on the 8:30 am flight to JFK. It wasn’t easy for him to find a flight back for us since we are a family of four and we were traveling with kids. Fortunately, he found us a flight to JFK where we were seated next to each other. Since our new flight was for the following day, we had to stay overnight in Paris.

Step 2: Overnight Stay in Paris

We had 2 options for our overnight stay in Paris. Delta Airlines was offering hotel vouchers to passengers on our flight but they said there is a delay in getting the hotel vouchers. Our other option was to book our own hotel and then file a claim for reimbursement of our hotel expenses.

Since it was getting late, we were traveling with kids and we had an early flight the following day, we decided to book our own hotel instead of waiting for the hotel vouchers.

Many of the airport hotels were full. We ended up booking 2 rooms at the Moxy Airport Hotel.

But, the Moxy Airport Hotel ended up being not as convenient as we expected it to be. In fact, it took us a good 1 hour of walking and taking the shuttle train to get to the Moxy Airport Hotel (with luggage and kids)! It was unbelievably frustrating and exhausting!

Check out my post on Charles De Gaulle Airport hotels because it can be confusing finding an easy, airport hotel near Charles de Gaulle Airport! I will give you tips on which airport hotels are best.

However, despite the difficulty in getting to our airport hotel, I’m still glad we ended up booking the hotel on our own instead of waiting for the hotel voucher.

I found out from the other passengers who took the hotel voucher option that they checked into their hotel at midnight! Then they had to wake up very early because the shuttle picked them up at the hotel to take them to the airport at 5 am in order to catch the 8:30 am flight to JFK! That sounds like a nightmare to me!

Apparently, the airline booked them in a hotel that is near Disney Land Paris which is 45 minutes to an hour away from Charles de Gaulle airport. It’s not really an airport hotel because it’s so far away!

By the time they got the hotel voucher, cleared immigration, got their luggage and took the shuttle to the hotel, it was midnight when they arrived at the hotel! I can’t even imagine going through all that with 2 cranky, sleepy kids!

Thank goodness we booked the hotel on our own! We were all in bed and fast asleep at midnight!

Step 3: Food Voucher from Delta Airlines

Since our flight was canceled, Delta Airlines was giving food vouchers to passengers. The Delta customer service representative at the gate printed out food vouchers for us. The food voucher was 15 Euros per person and we could only use it at Charles De Gaulle airport.

15 Euros is really not enough for dinner at Charles de Gaulle! We ended up buying to-go sushi and Poke Bowls from Yo!Sushi since it would have been way more expensive if we ate at the restaurant. We still ended up having to pay extra to cover the cost of the entire bill!

YO! Sushi at Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris

Step 4: How to File for Compensation with Delta Airlines for a Cancelled Flight in Paris

If your flight is canceled in the EU you can file for compensation from the airline. There is an EU rule that requires airlines to pay for hotel, food and compensate you a dollar amount (depending on the timing of cancellation and flight).

Compensation for Flight Cancellation in the EU

According to EU Regulation 261/2004, you are eligible for compensation for flight cancellations.

The airline should provide meals and refreshments relative to your wait time, hotel accommodations if you need to stay overnight (transport included), and a prepaid phone card or the equivalent for two 5-minute calls, two faxes, or two emails.
Plus you can get compensated for the cancellation. Here is how much:
- Flights up to 1,500 km: €250
- Flights within the EU over 1,500 km, and other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km: €400
- All other flights: €600

If your flight gets canceled less than two weeks before you’re supposed to leave, you won’t get your money back. However, this is only the case if your new flight leaves and arrives around the same time as your old one.

You should verify compensation eligibility with your airline and also with EU Air Passenger Rights.

In my case, my Paris to New York flight was canceled and rebooked for the following day so I was eligible for compensation.

How to File for Flight Cancelation Compensation with Delta Airlines

I asked the Delta gate representative and he told me to file a complaint on the Delta website. He kindly instructed me on how to file the complaint.

Since I was waiting in line at the gate for my food voucher, I used that time to go to the Delta website (not the app) and filed a complaint. You will be asked to fill in the comment section to file your complaint with Delta and this is what I wrote:

My flight from CDG to JFK Flight ## was canceled and I’m entitled to compensation per EU Regulation 261/2004. I’m requesting cash compensation of 600 euros per person or 2400 euros for my family of four. Thank you.

How to File for Hotel Compensation with Delta Airlines

Since I opted to book the hotel on my own, I had to file for hotel compensation with Delta. A few days after arriving back home, I got an email from Delta Airlines telling me to reply to the email with copies of receipts to get reimbursed for hotel, meal, and transportation expenses that were incurred due to the flight cancelation.

I replied to the email and submitted the receipts for the hotel and the uber ride back to the airport.

Step 5: Delta Airlines Compensation for My Cancelled Flight in Paris

You are probably wondering what I ended up getting for compensation from Delta Airlines for the flight cancellation.

Delta Airlines Compensation for Cancelled EU Flight

Delta Airlines ended up giving me the 600 Euros per person that I requested. So I got 2400 Euros compensation total for my family of four. They said my travel falls under the guidelines of the European Union Regulation (EC) 261/2004 so they are honoring the amount that I requested.

Delta Airlines also emailed to say they apologize for the flight cancelation and credited 20,000 Delta points to each of our accounts. That was nice and unexpected!

Delta Airlines Compensation for Hotel Accommodation for Cancelled Flight

As for the hotel reimbursement, I didn’t get the full amount requested. Since we were a family of four, we booked 2 rooms at the airport hotel and the total hotel bill was 380 Euros. Plus we spent 35 Euros on the taxi to take us back to the airport the following day. The total amount I requested for reimbursement was 415 Euros but I only ended up getting $288.08 USD.

We were told by the Delta customer representatives at the gate that Delta will reimburse 120 Euros per person for hotel accommodations but she was wrong because we got reimbursed less than that. So when you book your own hotel, do keep in mind that the per-person reimbursement for hotel accommodations is low. You may have to end up paying for the extra out of pocket!

Payment Method for Delta Airlines Compensation

Delta wrote us an email informing us of the total compensation amount. They converted the total amount to US Dollars. Delta Airlines will either pay out the compensation via ACH transfer or will send me a check if I didn’t reply to the email with my bank information for the ACH transfer. They would mail a check to my address in 15 days.

How Long Did It Take to Get the Compensation from Delta Airlines?

It took Delta Airlines 9 days after we filed a complaint to let us know how much they would compensate us for the flight cancelation. I’m impressed with how quickly they responded to my complaint!

Then it took another 2 weeks for us to receive our compensation from Delta Airlines. I opted to wait for the check and Delta Airlines mailed us 5 checks, one per person and the fifth check was the compensation payment for the overnight hotel stay.

FAQ About Flight Cancellations

Do You Need to Get Your Luggage When Your Flight is Rebooked Due to Flight Cancellation in Paris?

Yes, you will need to get your luggage if your flight is rebooked for the following day and you will need to spend the night at a hotel. Unfortunately, the airline does not transfer your luggage to your new flight.

You have to go through France immigration, pick up your luggage from the baggage claim area, and then go through customs as if you are arriving in Paris! It’s no fun since there is usually a long line at immigration!

If you are rebooked for a later flight that day, the airline might be able to transfer your luggage for you. You will have to check with the airline customer service representative.