Check your likely rights
Identify the applicable framework and estimate fixed compensation where the rules support it.
Free flight disruption toolkit
Delayed, cancelled or bumped? Start here.
Work through one clear route: check your likely rights, organise evidence, claim directly from the airline, track the response and escalate only when necessary.
Your complete claim journey
Five steps—from disruption to resolution
Open free checker →
Prepare the evidence
Create a claim-letter outline, record the final arrival time and list reasonable disruption expenses.
Claim directly from the airline
Open the verified official form for compensation, expenses or refunds without paying a claims company.
Track the airline’s response
Save the case reference, amount requested, replies and important follow-up dates on your own device.
Escalate if unresolved
Find the appropriate ADR scheme or official authority after the airline’s complaints process is exhausted.
What you may be asking for
These are different remedies. A traveller may qualify for more than one, but each requires the right evidence.
Fixed compensation
A statutory amount for qualifying disruption. It depends on jurisdiction, route, delay and cause—not simply the ticket price.
Care expenses
Reasonable meals, hotel and transport costs when the airline did not provide required care. Keep itemised receipts.
Ticket refund or rerouting
A refund for an unused flight or replacement transport rights after certain cancellations and major disruption.
Important: severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions and other circumstances outside the airline’s control may remove fixed-compensation entitlement, but care or refund rights can still apply. Always check the official rules for the affected journey.
Evidence to save before leaving the airport
Booking and flight
Confirmation, passenger names, flight number, operating airline and boarding passes.
Timing and reason
Scheduled and actual arrival times, cancellation notice and the airline’s written explanation.
Costs and communication
Itemised receipts, proof of payment, messages, claim copy and every airline response.
Flight claim questions
Does this website submit my claim?
No. Smart Budget Traveler provides educational tools and direct official links. It does not act as a legal representative or claims-management company.
Do I need to pay somebody to claim?
No. Start with the operating airline’s own claim process for free. Third-party claims services may charge a substantial share of recovered compensation.
What if the airline ignores me?
Keep proof of submission. Use the tracker to identify an applicable response or escalation point, then follow the official ADR or regulator guidance for that journey.
Does the tool store my flight details?
The checker runs in the browser. The claim tracker saves only to local storage on the device when you choose Save; Smart Budget Traveler does not receive the record.
Editorial and legal note: This hub is independent, contains no flight-claims affiliate links and is not legal advice. Eligibility depends on the facts of each journey. Airline forms, regulator responsibilities and deadlines can change, so verify the official destination page before submitting personal information. Reviewed 21 October 2026.