So basically this app is a simplified version of this? http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm#ov... If you get bumped involuntarily due to overbooking you are due compensation. Else you're SOL.
When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
31–40 of 66 posts
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#32Another startup serving the needs of people who demand to be served.
They shouldn't need to demand it.
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#33This is a great idea. I once had a (US domestic) flight cancelled at the last minute because there weren't enough people on it, and all the airline offered to do was put me in a hotel overnight and pay for my meals while I waited for another flight that was about 20 hours later. In the end I managed to weasel my way onto a different flight to a nearby airport, and I still have no idea what I should have asked for if…
My wife and I had our flight from Europe to Japan cancelled a few summers ago. The put us another flight via Bangkok. Added 8 hours to our journey. That became a really long trip. Eventually we got the EU paperwork and filled it in meticulously. And to our surprise €600 each arrived within a few weeks. As soon as the use of these type of apps become the norm the flight prices will probably go up a bit to compensate.…
> As soon as the use of these type of apps become the norm the flight prices will probably go up a bit to compensate. Or maybe the airlines will be less cavalier about cancelling flights.
Presumably both these things will happen, the former as a consequence of the latter.
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Weather upstream from your flight can still be responsible. If the aircraft your flight is going to use gets delayed due to weather earlier in the day, that's a weather delay, even if you had clear skies at your departure. Airlines aren't responsible for weather delays, full stop.
> Airlines aren't responsible for weather delays, full stop. Yes, exactly. "Airline-caused" means things like: - flight crew delays/unavailable - mechanical issues - overbooking
Not even. If air crew is unavailable because a previous flight ran long due to headwinds and they are out of allowable flying hours for the day, week, or month? That's "weather-related" and you get nothing.
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#35Neat. While perhaps impossible, I'd also love an app that would overall just help me get back ontrack for flights and rebooked somehow. I realize I can go to the gate agent (who invariably now has 50 other people in line, and are working with computers that seem to require 1000 key presses to even look up the most basic thing) or call the airline (similar situation)- but it seems that the best results only happen for…
It's not an app but I've heard good things about http://crankyconcierge.com I've never had cause to hire them myself though.
I used them for an award flight that got severely messed up.
I was pretty impressed with the service.
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
My thoughts as well. Can POA be limited to a specific area or case (e.g. just for flight reimbursement)?
"A 'specific' power of attorney imposes limits upon the named representative, and may restrict the scope of that person's powers to a single type of conduct or a single transaction." http://www.expertlaw.com/library/estate_planning/power_of_at...
From getairhelp.com:
> The Power Of Attorney - POA for short - authorises AirHelp to undertake all appropriate legal (judicial and extrajudicial) measures to collect the compensation from the airline on your behalf.
It's a bit weird the article mentions it in the general case if AirHelp is only asking for it in regards to that specific area.
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#37Neat. While perhaps impossible, I'd also love an app that would overall just help me get back ontrack for flights and rebooked somehow. I realize I can go to the gate agent (who invariably now has 50 other people in line, and are working with computers that seem to require 1000 key presses to even look up the most basic thing) or call the airline (similar situation)- but it seems that the best results only happen for…
That sounds awesome, but I'm a little skeptical. The app would have run a huge optimization problem over your schedule and preferences (how would it know that you had a friend that could drive you?) and the airline reservation systems (which don't exactly have a well documented API, even internally).
For now, at least, this sounds like a problem where human involvement is really useful.
Cranky Concierge, as someone mentioned below, is one great option.
Another is paying the ~$50 for lounge access for the day, to talk to the reservations agent at the desk inside the lounge. They're usually much more experienced, much more likely to spend the time to do creative routings, and haven't just had to deal with possibly several hundred angry passengers. In one case with United, I stepped out of line to speak to the gate agent after my flight was delayed several hours and paid to go in the lounge. I wound up getting the last confirmed seat on the next flight, whereas the person just in front of me in line had to go on the standby list (which she didn't clear). That $50 was _well_ worth it.
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#38Really curious to hear what their success rate is with Ryanair, as they seem to be as consumer unfriendly as possible. (Though I think they have started to change their priorities recently)
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#39I just tried to use the service to get some money from a cancelled flight from Houston to Los Angeles that I had in January.
Here's some feedback/questions about the service:
- When I filled in the flight, I selected "cancelled". When I got to the final claim filing step, it asked how many hours my arrival was delayed, with the highest tier being 4+ hours. This was confusing to me and made me double check that I selected cancelled and not delayed. If the text said here "how much did your flight cancellation delay your arrival?" or something similar, the process would have been much clearer.
- After completing the claim filing, I got a message that I wasn't eligible for compensation. The first two sentences talked about why I wasn't eligible due to not being on a flight between EU countries. The end of the paragraph said that reimbursements aren't given for flights cancelled due to weather, safety, strikes, etc. I would be far less confused by the service if a simple answer was given here instead (don't mention the EU stuff if you're trying to reimburse Americans, and hopefully just put a single statement like "Sorry, you are not eligible for reimbursement because your flight was cancelled due to weather".
Another question related not so much to the website but just the reimbursement service. For the particular IAH->LAX trip I was hoping to get reimbursed for, I had a Saturday flight delayed then cancelled, then got reschedule to Sunday morning, which got cancelled, and then got rescheduled to Monday (which actually went through). Could I attempt to get reimbursed for both cancellations or just one?
Re: When Airlines Screw Up Your Flight, AirHelp (YC W14) Gets You Paid
#40Neat. While perhaps impossible, I'd also love an app that would overall just help me get back ontrack for flights and rebooked somehow. I realize I can go to the gate agent (who invariably now has 50 other people in line, and are working with computers that seem to require 1000 key presses to even look up the most basic thing) or call the airline (similar situation)- but it seems that the best results only happen for…
As many others have mentioned trying to figure out connections yourself can help a lot. United wanted me to wait overnight in Dulles or come back 24 hours later for a flight to Seattle. I figured out connections for myself and only lost about 4 hours in stead of 17-24 hours. It helps when you have no checked bags.