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.
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.
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.
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.
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 →
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.
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 →