Euro Law Entitles Israelis to File Claims for Air Delays

Israeli travelers whose flights were delayed by at least three hours in the past two years are entitled to compensation from airlines, according to European law, Globes reported on Tuesday.

Airlines are required to compensate customers according to flight distance: €250 for flights up to 1,500 kilometers, €400 for a flight between 1500 to 3,500 kilometers, and €600 for a flight longer than 3,500 kilometers. (One kilometer is approximately 0.6 miles.)

The law applies to all European airlines, regardless of where their flights originate, as do all international airlines departing European airports.

Thus, even though El Al is an Israeli company, if an El Al flight from, say, Rome to Tel Aviv was delayed by at least three hours, it must compensate its passengers.

The Belgian company EUClaim says it represents claims on behalf of its customers for a 25 percent fee. The company has just launched a Hebrew website to make its service more available to Israeli travelers.

Estimates place the maximum total compensation due to Israeli passengers at 300 million shekels for flight delays in the past two years.

The company, founded in 2013, reportedly won €1.5 million out of 3 million suits (with some still pending trial).

There are exceptions, of course. If a delay is caused by a volcanic eruption, political incident, war, illegal strike or terror attack, the airlines are not liable to pay compensation.

Passengers who were affected by the closure of the Brussels airport after the terror attack are thus not entitled to compensation.