Business Travel News
Business Travel News
  • SECTIONSOpen Menu
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • New! Sustainability
    • Recent Issues
  • VOICESOpen Menu
    • Expert Q&A
    • OpEds
    • Sponsored Content
    • Podcasts
    • What to Watch 2022
  • RESEARCHOpen Menu
    • BTN's 2022 Essential OBT Guide
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
  • WEBINARSOpen Menu
    • View All Webinars
  • EVENTSOpen Menu
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Hall of Fame
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • DEI Symposium Series
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCESOpen Menu
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Hotel Search
  • SECTIONSOpen Menu
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • New! Sustainability
    • Recent Issues
  • VOICESOpen Menu
    • Expert Q&A
    • OpEds
    • Sponsored Content
    • Podcasts
    • What to Watch 2022
  • RESEARCHOpen Menu
    • BTN's 2022 Essential OBT Guide
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
  • WEBINARSOpen Menu
    • View All Webinars
  • EVENTSOpen Menu
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Hall of Fame
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • DEI Symposium Series
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • RESOURCESOpen Menu
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Hotel Search
Business Travel News
  • Business Travel News on Twitter
  • Business Travel News on LinkedIn
  • Business Travel News on Facebook
  • SECTIONS
    • Transportation
    • Lodging
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • Distribution
    • Meetings
    • Global
    • Management
    • Travel Procurement
    • New! Sustainability
    • Recent Issues
    Subscribe to NewslettersNew! BTN SustainabilityBTN DailyBTN GlobalBTN Travel ManagementTravel Procurement
    Subscribe to Print IssuesBusiness Travel NewsTravel Procurement
  • VOICES
    • Expert Q&A
    • OpEds
    • Sponsored Content
    • Podcasts
    • What to Watch 2022
    Jina SanoneFlush With Infrastructure Funding, Amtrak Readies New Trains
    Alex ChatzieleftheriouFurnished Apt. Co. Blueground Leans into Corp. Market
    Flight Centre Ready to Invest in More InnovationFlight Centre Ready to Invest in More Innovation
  • RESEARCH
    • BTN's 2022 Essential OBT Guide
    • Corporate Travel 100
    • Corporate Travel Index
    • Expense Manager Report
    • Small & Midsize Enterprise
    • Salary Survey
    • Strategic Meetings Report
    • VIEW ALL
    Annual Supplier Ratings• Car Rental Survey & Report• Hotel Survey & Report• Airline Survey & Report
    Special Reports• The Future of Meetings• The Mechanics of Sustainble Business Travel
  • WEBINARS
    • View All Webinars
    Analytics, Sustainability and Traveler Safety: Shaping the Future of Corporate Travel

    Thurs., Dec. 8 at 1pm ET / 10am PT
    Sponsored By: Emburse

    The Future of Meetings

    Fri., Dec. 2 at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT
    Sponsored by: American Express Meetings & Events, Cvent, Group360

    Understanding Booking Behavior and Its Impact on Travel Experience

    Tues., Nov. 15 at 12pm ET / 9am PT
    Sponsored By: TripActions

  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Hall of Fame
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit
    • Business Travel Lodging Summit
    • Business Travel Show
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Business Travel Trends Forecasts
    • DEI Symposium Series
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Government Travel Summit
    • Innovate
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
    Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off

    Virtual Event - 23 February, 2023

    Strategic Meetings Summit Series

    In Person Event Series

    3rd Annual Travel Procurement Virtual Workshop Series

    Virtual Event Series - March/April 2022

    Business Travel Trends and Forecasts Series

    Business Travel Trends & Forecasts is a one-day,

  • RESOURCES
    • Business Travel Buyer's Handbook
    • Business Travel Buyer's Techbook
    • Corporate Travel Index Calculator
    • Data Sources: The Reference Guide
    • White Papers & Case Studies
    • Influencers
    • Webinars
    • Hotel Search
    BTN CTI Calculator

    Filter in or out as many as 200 cities, as well as hotel and car rental class and meals of the day and watch as the per-diem calculator automatically adjusts per diems to your program. Drill down into cost breakdowns and export the results.

  • Business Travel News Supplier DirectorySUPPLIER DIRECTORY

Co. Pursues European Carrier Flight-Delay Claims

By Jay Boehmer / October 21, 2007 / Contact Reporter
Share
A Netherlands-based firm that helps travelers and companies claim compensation afforded by a 2005 European Union regulation that forces airlines to pay damages to heavily inconvenienced passengers is embarking on a European expansion.

European Regulation 261 covers denied boarding, lengthy delays and flight cancellations for flights touching the European Union—entitling passengers to compensation of ?250 for flights under 1,500 kilometers to ?600 for flights over 3,500 kilometers. Airlines have called the regulation flawed and excessive (BTNonline, Feb. 17, 2005).

The company, EUClaim, plans to launch in the United Kingdom within weeks, followed by Germany early next year. "We will start accepting claims in central Europe within eight weeks, but formally we'll open up in January. The Nordic countries and southern Europe will follow in the first four months of next year," EUClaim founder Hendrik Noorderhaven said last week.

For corporations, such as client Philips Electronics, EUClaim runs passenger name record checks against a database of flights determined to be subject to compensation and alerts travel managers to claims.

Noorderhaven said EUClaim guides clients through the labyrinthine claims process, running analysis to prove claimants were on flights subject to regulation, filing the appropriate documents with carriers and sometimes refuting airline resistance to claims with analytical evidence. Since launching earlier this year in the Netherlands, Noorderhaven said he has accepted "thousands" of passenger claims, nearly 70 percent of which are deemed applicable to the regulation and subsequently processed. Passengers receive 73 percent of the claim amount, with the remaining portion going to EUClaim.

"You file a claim with us, our computer makes a quick analysis and we produce a document for the airlines, saying this customer was on this plane that was rescheduled or delayed or was denied boarding," Noorderhaven said. "Several letters come out and we send one to the airline and ask them to pay according to the legislation."

Philips Electronics global commodity manager for air travel Peter Sijbers signed a contract with EUClaim in June. "Whenever our passengers are bumped off a flight or there are delays, all our passengers go to EUClaim to claim what is rightfully theirs," Sijbers said.

Though airlines tend to view Noorderhaven as an "ambulance chaser," he likens the service to "an accountant who files tax forms. Sure, you could do it yourself, but you won't get back all the money you're entitled to," he said.

Noorderhaven said airlines generally are resistant to pay compensation and cite "extraordinary circumstances," as defined in a clause in the European regulation. "The airline without exception will claim 'extraordinary circumstances,' and they won't pay," Noorderhaven said. "Then we send a second letter and tell them to pay, and we give them the proof. They have to prove it's extraordinary circumstances or pay."

According to the EU regulation, extraordinary circumstances exist "where the impact of an air traffic management decision in relation to a particular aircraft on a particular day gives rise to a long delay, an overnight delay or the cancellation of one or more flights by that aircraft, even though all reasonable measures had been taken by the air carrier concerned to avoid the delays or cancellations."

Noorderhaven said the service would best be offered by travel management companies, and said EUClaim is in discussions with several to offer it to clients. "We're talking to TMCs to proactively make a run," he said. "We'll say, last week these flights were accepted, and did you have any customers on that flight? We believe that will be the future of this."

Sijbers, however, said TMCs are "struggling with the idea. On one hand, they feel it's an additional service offering to corporations. On the other hand, we know there are backhand agreements with the airlines, so they are in a bit of a squeeze in this."

Although Philips manages the reclaim effort on behalf of its travelers, individual corporate travelers also could file claims with the company.

"We run into the same thing with air miles: who owns the air miles? The company or the employee?" Noorderhaven said. "The law says it's the ticket holder that's entitled to compensation. If a company has no internal employee arrangement that they're entitled to damages incurred, then the employee can just claim with us. A company like Philips, which has an internal arrangement, we pick up the reservation number and recognize them as Philips. Then, we say the money gained here can only be reimbursed to Philips."
More

Sponsored Content

VIEW ALL
Delta’s Accelerated Sustainability Flight Plan
Delta’s Accelerated Sustainability Flight PlanBy Pam Fletcher, Chief Sustainability Officer – Delta Air Lines

At Delta, we see travel as a noble force for good – and the miracle of flight is helping us to better understand the far-reaching impacts of climate change.  KEEP READING

Delta: Your Partner in Travel
Delta: Your Partner in TravelBy Delta Air Lines

Partner with Delta and get access to innovative products and services, award-winning account support and powerful tools that help your business reach new heights. KEEP READING

Travel is back – easy solutions to maximize your travel budget
Travel is back – easy solutions to maximize your travel budgetBy United Airlines

As the world returns to travel, you may have more questions than answers when it comes to managing your resurgent business travel needs. KEEP READING

Subscribe to Our

Free Newsletters

pixel2

Click Here for our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

  • Most Read
  • Most Shared
  1. Amex GBT Restructuring to Two Global Segments: Multinational, SME
  2. Managed Travel Unicorn TripActions to Rebrand as ‘Navan’
  3. As Airline Rollovers End, Buyers Assess Status-Loss Fallout
  4. Race Away From Transaction Fees Remains Close to Starting Line
  5. Contracted Corp. Business Losing Prominence at American
  1. Report: U.S. Mtg. Volume Exceeds 2019, Signaling End of Recovery Efforts
  2. AHLA Survey: Most U.S. Corp. Travelers Returning to Normalcy
  3. TakeTwo Partners with Serko to Offer Zeno Booking Tool
  4. Delta to Offer Free Wi-Fi, Special Content for SkyMiles Members
  5. Could the FAA Outage Hinder Business Travel's Recovery?
Business Travel NewsBusiness Travel News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Business Travel News on Twitter
  • Business Travel News on LinkedIn
  • Business Travel News on Facebook
BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS
NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP
Business Travel News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Upload Print Ad Material
  • Purchase Reprints
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Subscribe to BTN
  • Subscribe to Travel Procurement
  • Subscribe to Newsletters
  • BTN Europe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Business Travel News
Business Travel News Travel Procurement The Beat
Northstar Travel Group
  • Retail Travel
  • Travel Weekly
  • Travel Weekly Asia
  • Travel Weekly China
  • TravelAge West
  • TravelPulse
  • TravelPulse Canada
  • TravelPulse Quebec

  • Hotel Investment
  • Burba Hotel Network

  • Travel Technology
  • Inntopia
  • Phocuswire
  • Phocuswright
  • Web In Travel
  • Meetings & Incentives
  • Northstar Meetings Group
  • Meetings & Conventions
  • Meetings & Conventions China
  • Meetings & Conventions Asia
  • Meeting News
  • Successful Meetings
  • Incentive
  • SportsTravel

  • Data Products
  • Agent Studio
  • AXUS Travel App
  • Intelliguide
  • travel42
Northstar Travel Group
Copyright ©2023 Northstar Travel Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. 301 Rte. 17N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone: (201) 902-2000
RRManagement rrtestprocurement