EU law states that if you are travelling to or from the EU and arrival to your destination is delayed by more than three hours, you are entitled to compensation.
Regulations say you are entitled up to £540, which is dependent on the length of the journey.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) advises travellers to go directly to the airline if they want to make a claim.
But before they do, they should double check that they qualify for compensation.
There are four basic questions you need to ask yourself about your delayed flight.
1) Firstly, was the delayed flight after December 2010?
2) Were you more than three hours late arriving at your destination?
3) Were you on an EU flight? This is defined as a flight that either left or arrived at an airport within the EU - and for now, this does include the UK.
4) Finally, was it the airline’s fault that you were delayed? According to EU law, technical faults are considered as being the airlines’ fault, except in certain circumstances.
According to the Mirror Online, evidence suggests that airlines ignore claims of compensation letters or falsely allege that it is not valid.
Claims can easily be made online. But if they are denying a claim you believe is valid or you struggle with forms, it may be worth getting a solicitor involved.
CAA has appointed some companies to help customers win a flight delay claim, however, they do charge a fee.
But there are some independent companies that offer a no win, no fee service.
0800 AIRFARE is one of those companies. A spokesperson for the company, Julian Hart, told the news website: “Last year alone we estimate 1.4 million people were affected by flight delays of over 3 hours either leaving or returning to the UK and can claim compensation, and there are millions of cases dating back to 2011.”
He added: “However in many cases the airlines could not make it harder to pursue a claim, and to then have to personally pursue a legal route can be very time consuming and expensive.
“Our service is there to take all the hassle away. We offer a no win - no fee service with the airline being approached by the UK’s foremost flight delay compensation solicitor’s.
"With their case study’s and database of successful claims we are achieving a 99 per cent success rate of getting compensation from valid claims."
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