Taking an Airline To Small Claims Court For Your Flight Delay or Cancellation

The CaseCraft.AI platform doesn’t require any specialist legal knowledge to use, and will give you peace of mind as you take the necessary steps to secure compensation.

If you are unable to secure compensation after following the airline’s standard complaints process and seeking regulatory support, you can file a money claim through the small claims track of the County Court, and ask a judge to rule on your case. 

CaseCraft.AI makes it much easier to take an airline to small claims court for flight delays and cancellations. The simple, secure platform lets you prepare and file evidence, track your case and receive alerts when you need to take action or a communication is received from the courts. 

Flight Delay Compensation And Small Claims Court

If your flight has been delayed or cancelled, you could be entitled to financial compensation. In order to start your money claim you will need to raise a complaint, using the airline’s standard complaint form. If no standard complaints form is available, you can email the airline directly or send a letter outlining your claim. 

Should the airline reject your claim, and you are unsatisfied with their reasoning, you can escalate a complaint with the appropriate ADR (alternative dispute resolution body) scheme, or ask CAA to assist. If neither an ADR scheme or CAA can help, you can consider taking an airline to small claims court. 

I Want To Represent Myself In Court With My Flight Delay Claim. What Should I Expect?

Wondering how to sue airlines in small claims court, and what to expect? It is possible to take an airline to court over unpaid compensation and to represent yourself, so that you can save on legal fees. You will need to follow the proper process and file a claim – CaseCraft.AI’s simple and secure platform makes it much easier to do this. 

Generally, representing yourself as a petitioner in an airline dispute involves taking several key steps:

1. File your claim, submitting all necessary evidence of money owed, for example – proof that your flight was delayed or cancelled.
2. Wait for the airline to respond and to state their case – they may dispute your claim in its totality, or question the amount of compensation you are requesting.
3. Attend any mediation call ordered by the courts and attempt to find a middle ground through arbitration. 
4. If mediation fails, attend a court hearing where a judge will decide whether to uphold your claim and how much compensation to award. 

If you do need to attend a court hearing at small claims court, it is very common to represent yourself in order to avoid unnecessary legal fees. 

How Much Time Would It Take If I Take My Flight Delay Claim To Court Myself?

Take note of these important considerations when claiming for a flight delay in small claims court:

When submitting a claim for compensation due to a flight delay or cancellation, it is important to include all important details in your filing, and to keep a copy of your claim and original documentation, in case you wish to appeal down the road. 

You should have an argument prepared to support your flight compensation claim, which can be an explanation of the inconvenience, cost and/or distress directly caused by the delayed flight. 

It is important to be aware of the costs involved with taking an airline to small claims court – the amount you will pay in fees will go up depending on how much money you are asking for. 

Be aware that if you win the case the airline will pay your court fees, but if you lose the case, you will have to pay your own court fees, as well as those of the airline.

If you issue proceedings on behalf of more than one customer you will need to send a completed N1 paper claim form to the County Court Bulk Issue Centre, unless you file using CaseCraft.AI, which streamlines the process.

Finally, when considering how to sue airlines in small claims court, ensure that you are aware of the deadline for raising your claim – you have six years from the point your flight was delayed or cancelled to bring a claim against an airline at small claims court.

Don’t Underestimate The Time You’ll Need To Commit To Claiming

If you’re wondering can I take an airline to small claims court? one of the most important considerations in whether to raise a claim is the amount of time you will need to commit in order to see the process through properly. Small claims is a popular track of the County Court and as such it can take several months to see the process through. You will need to prepare and file your claim, potentially attend arbitration or a hearing, and respond to information requests. This is why it is important to weigh up the time investment when considering whether you can take an airline to small claims court. 

The Three Key Steps To Securing Delayed Flight Compensation

1. Ask The Airline
   Ask the airline if they are willing to provide compensation for the inconvenience caused by the flight delay. Follow the standard process to lodge a complaint, and await their initial response.
2. Ask The Regulator
   If the airline denies your claim and you do not agree with their assessment, or you do not receive a reply from the airline within 8 weeks of issuing your complaint, you can escalate it with the appropriate ADR. If your airline is not a member of an alternative dispute resolution body, you can file a complaint with CAA, who can help to argue your case. 
3. Go To Court
   Should CAA review your claim and decide against you, there is no option to appeal. In this case, you can raise a claim via the small claims track of the County Court. If you are unsure how to take an airline to small claims court, you can seek expert advice from a solicitor.

Getting The Right Resolution To Your Airline Flight Complaint

A delayed or cancelled flight can cause considerable inconvenience. Attempting to resolve your complaint with the airline is the right first step, but if this fails and the regulator is unable to help, you can take the airline to small claims court. CaseCraft.AI makes filing and managing your airline flight claim a lot easier. You can sign up for the simple, secure case management platform and see court updates at a glance, so you never miss a step in the case process.