How Long Does It Take to Get Flight Delay Compensation?

One of the most common questions passengers ask before claiming is simple: how long is this actually going to take? The honest answer depends on whether the airline cooperates, but here's a realistic breakdown.

The typical timeline

• Weeks 1 to 2: Claim submitted and flight data verified. A well-documented claim with a clear delay and no genuine extraordinary circumstances can get an airline response within this window.
• Weeks 2 to 8: Most airlines are expected to respond to a compensation claim within 8 weeks. Straightforward cases where the airline accepts liability are often paid within this period.
• Weeks 8 to 16+: If the airline rejects the claim or goes silent, the case escalates to the airline's Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme, such as CEDR or Aviation ADR. This adds real time, typically another 2 to 3 months, but ADR decisions are binding on the airline.
• Beyond that: A small minority of cases that ADR doesn't resolve may need small claims court proceedings, which can take several months more.

What speeds a claim up

• A genuinely eligible claim. Clear-cut delays of 3+ hours or cancellations with no real extraordinary circumstances move fastest, since there's little for the airline to dispute.
• Accurate flight and booking details from the start. Errors or missing information cause back-and-forth that adds weeks.
• Persistence. Airlines are more likely to act quickly on claims that are followed up consistently rather than submitted and forgotten.

What slows a claim down

• The airline citing extraordinary circumstances, genuine or not, which requires a challenge and evidence review
• Claims submitted with incomplete or incorrect flight details
• Airlines with a known pattern of ignoring first-round claims, hoping passengers give up
• Needing to escalate to ADR or, in rare cases, court

Does using a claims company make it faster?

Not always faster in terms of the airline's own response time, since that's largely out of anyone's control. But it removes the parts that cause the biggest delays for individuals: knowing when and how to escalate, correctly challenging a bogus extraordinary circumstances rejection, and not letting a claim go quiet after being ignored. Most of the time lost on DIY claims comes from passengers not knowing what to do next after a rejection, not from the process itself being slow.

How Klaimly handles timing

We verify your flight against real flight data immediately, so there's no back-and-forth over basic facts. If the airline rejects or ignores the claim, we escalate without you having to chase us or them. Flat 5% fee, only if we win, so there's no cost to you while the claim is in progress.