After years and years of fighting against the previous rulings the ECJ held that unexpected technical problems can no longer count as an Âextraordinary circumstanceÂ, opening the door to claims of up to Â600 (£437) a head.
The airlines have sought to reinvent the cause of a delay due to the cost. It will run in to the millions as the regulation payout can sometimes exceed the cost of the fare. For example, if you have been delayed within the EU you will be entitled to Â250, whereas long-haul qualify for £600 if the delay is more than 4 hours.
WHEN CAN YOU CLAIM?
You can claim if an airline could reasonably have foreseen and prevented the cause of the delay. These include the following
 Technical problems
 Airline strikes and knock on effects
 Poor timing of flight and turn-around times
 Inadequate official paperwork required before a flight can depart
You cannot claim if the delay is classed as an Âextraordinary circumstance  beyond an airlineÂs control  including:
 Air traffic control strike action
 weather conditions
 Security
 Manufacturing defects
 Unexpected damage to aircraft
