A flight disruption claim runs on specifics: which authority's rules apply, which airline is actually liable, and whether the reason the airline gave you holds up. These are the official sources for each — organized by what they actually do, not blended together.
Ready to document a claim? Start with our free evidence checklist.
Section 1 · Flight Delays & Cancellations
The official passenger-rights basis for a delay/cancellation claim, one source per region — this is "how to claim," not "who regulates" (see Section 3 for that).
US — Delay/cancellation passenger rights (DOT)
What: The DOT's official consumer-facing portal covering airline passenger rights, refund rules, and how to file a complaint. The US has no automatic cash-compensation scheme equivalent to UK261/EU261 — check current DOT guidance rather than assuming one exists.
When to use: A US-departing or US-arriving flight was delayed, cancelled, or you were denied boarding.
UK — Am I entitled to compensation? (CAA)
What: The CAA's own guidance on UK261 compensation eligibility — extraordinary circumstances, delay length, and how to make a claim.
When to use: A flight departed the UK, or arrived in the UK on a UK-licensed airline, and was delayed or cancelled.
EU — Air passenger rights (Your Europe)
What: The official EU citizen-facing portal on EU261 air passenger rights — reimbursement, re-routing, and where to get help for cross-border complaints.
When to use: A flight departing the EU (any airline), or arriving in the EU on an EU airline, was delayed, cancelled, or overbooked.
Australia — Travel delays and cancellations (ACCC)
What: The ACCC's guidance on Australian Consumer Law guarantees as they apply to a delayed or cancelled flight — Australia has no EU261-style automatic cash-compensation scheme.
When to use: An Australian domestic or international flight was delayed or cancelled and you want to know what the ACL actually guarantees.
Section 2 · Airline Complaint Portals
Direct links to airline complaint pages, organized by airline, not by country.
Qantas — Complaints process
What: Qantas's official complaints process and feedback form.
Stated response time: Qantas states it acknowledges complaints submitted via qantas.com within 3 working days, with a reference number.
Jetstar — Complaints and compliments
What: Jetstar's official complaints and compliments page, including live chat and the Customer Care feedback form.
Stated response time: Jetstar states it aims to provide an outcome or update within 7 business days, though it can take up to 15 business days.
Virgin Australia — Feedback and claims
What: Virgin Australia's official feedback and reimbursement-claim form.
Section 3 · Aviation Authorities
Who regulates the airline — distinct from Section 1's passenger-rights claim sources. Safety oversight, economic regulation, and cross-border complaint routing are three different functions; not blurred here.
FAA (US) — Aviation safety regulator
What: The FAA regulates aircraft airworthiness, airspace, and airline safety in the US. It does not process individual passenger-rights complaints — that's DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection division (Section 1).
UK CAA — Consumer protection enforcement
What: The CAA is the UK's enforcement body for air passenger rights law — its regulatory role, distinct from the specific "am I entitled to compensation" claim guidance linked in Section 1.
EASA (EU) — Aviation safety agency
What: EASA regulates aircraft safety and airworthiness across the EU. It does not process individual passenger-rights complaints — that's a national enforcement body or ECC-Net for cross-border cases.
ECC-Net — Cross-border EU complaint routing
What: ECC-Net routes cross-border EU consumer complaints (e.g. a French resident vs. a German airline) to the right national body — a routing/support function, not a safety regulator.
Section 4 · Lost & Damaged Baggage
Filing a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), the treaty that caps airline liability, and the Kibbo tools that turn this into a claim.
Filing a mishandled-baggage report (PIR)
What: IATA's consumer guidance on reporting lost, delayed, or damaged baggage — filing the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) before leaving the airport, and the claim window that follows.
The Montreal Convention (liability treaty)
What: The international treaty setting the airline liability cap for lost, damaged, or delayed baggage (1,519 SDR per passenger) — an international rule, not specific to any one country or region.
Use this evidence for:
Lost Luggage Inventory Template — itemise what was in the bag →
Section 5 · Flight Status & Evidence Tools
The airline said something caused your delay — here's how to check independently whether that's actually true. Real-time flight tracking and weather data, not rights information.
FlightAware — Flight tracking & history
What: Live and historical flight tracking — actual departure/arrival times, delay length, and route, independent of what the airline told you.
FAA National Airspace System Status
What: The FAA's official real-time map of ground stops, ground delay programs, and airport-specific delays across the US — check whether "air traffic control" was genuinely in effect.
Eurocontrol — Network operations
What: Europe's air traffic network status — real-time delay causes, air traffic flow measures, and disruptions across European airspace.
METAR weather lookup
What: Official aviation weather reports (METAR) for a specific airport at a specific time — check independently whether the "weather" an airline cited actually matches the conditions on record.
Section 6 · Travel Insurance
A separate claim from any direct airline claim — its own policy terms, its own process, and its own dispute body if it's mishandled.
UK — Financial Ombudsman Service
What: The free UK ombudsman for financial services complaints, including travel insurance disputes, once the insurer's own internal process is exhausted.
EU — FIN-NET
What: FIN-NET connects national financial ombudsmen across the EEA for cross-border disputes — including travel insurance, not just banking.
US — State insurance regulators (NAIC)
What: Travel insurance is regulated at the state level in the US — NAIC's consumer pages route you to your specific state's insurance department and complaint process.
Use this for:
Travel Delay Insurance Claim Worksheet — organise your claim file →