China Southern Airlines: Compensation for delayed flight, cancellation, denied boarding
How to claim China Southern Airlines compensation?
China Southern Airlines is one of the largest airlines in China. Alongside Air China and China Eastern Airlines, it is one of China's “Big Three” airlines. Headquartered in Guangzhou, the airline operates flights to more than 200 destinations in Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Middle East and North America. What if your flight is cancelled, delayed or overbooked? What are your rights in these situations? In what situations can you claim compensation from China Southern Airlines?
How to claim China Southern Airlines flight delay compensation?
China Southern Airlines flight cancellation compensation?
Check your compensation online!
Or continue reading to learn more about your rights.
Here are 5 main topics that we will focus on:
1. What to do if your flight is delayed?
2. What to do if your flight is cancelled?
3. How to claim China Southern Airlines flight delay compensation?
4. How to claim China Southern Airlines flight cancellation compensation?
5. How to claim China Southern Airlines denied boarding compensation?
1. What to do if your flight is DELAYED?
Your flight is delayed. What should you do?
In what situations can you request China Southern Airlines delay compensation? Speaking of your options right now, it depends on where you are when you find out about the delay. Most likely you are either still at home or hotel, or already at the airport.
1.1 If you are still at home
You’ve received an e-mail notifying about the delay.
Or you just checked flight status online. If you are still at home when you find out about the delay, you need to find out when check in counters will open. Find out about this even if you have already checked in online. Thus you’ll know when to go to the airport. Call the airport or your airline to ask about it.
If check in is going to be delayed, wait for a while.
If check in isn't delayed, go to the airport as normally.
Do you have another flight you may miss?
There are two most likely scenarios. If you have booked an airline-protected connecting flight, you are protected. The airline will put you on another flight for free. If you have booked two or more flights separately, this is your responsibility. Flights like these are called self transfer flights.
1.2 If you are already at the airport
You have arrived at the airport only to find out that your flight is late. Also in this situation you have to find out if check in for your flight has started already, or is it going to be delayed.
If check in hasn’t started, for now just wait.
If check in for your flight is delayed, there’s a possibility that your flight may also get cancelled. Or, it can be a long delay. That’s why it’s better to just wait for a while at the landside (public access) area of the airport. Until you see that check in for your flight starts.
If check has started, that’s a good sign.
If you haven’t checked in yet, do it now. Then proceed through airport security and go to your gate. Keep following status of your flight on flight information screens at the airport.
- 3 hour flight delay
China Southern Airlines is a Chinese airline.
Despite that, on some flights you are protected by the EU.
If you have to wait at the airport due to delay, there are some services you can receive for free. In case of waiting for 3+ hours extra, in Europe you have a right to care from the airline. China Southern Airlines has to provide you with two free phone calls or e-mails and also a free meal and drink.
This applies to all flights departing from the EU.
All passengers departing from the EU have a right to care.
All thanks to Regulation EC 261/2004.
- Long delay (Overnight delay)
If the delay is longer, you may also get a hotel room.
The airline has to offer you free hotel room and free transfer.
Everyone has the right to this type of care.
1.3 If it is fault of China Southern Airlines
That includes things like technical problems and staff shortage.
In this case, you may also be entitled to EU flight delay compensation.
Have you experienced a flight delay?
If you have — file a compensation claim.
1.4 Why do flights get delayed?
Here are some of the top reasons why flights get delayed.
2. What to do if your flight is CANCELLED?
Your flight is cancelled. What should you do?
Will there be a new flight? Do you have to pay for it? In which situations you are entitled to compensation or refund from China Southern Airlines? And what are the rules?
2.1 If you are still at home
You need to find out what’s happening next.
Contact China Southern Airlines, if they haven’t yet contacted you. Generally speaking, if it’s a China Southern Airlines flight departing from the EU, you are protected under the EU law. If it gets cancelled, the airline must offer you a new flight or full refund.
You have a right to request a refund if you don’t want to take any other flight. If cancellation has happened due to the fault of the airline, you may have a right to compensation. More on that further below.
2.2 If you are already at the airport
What to do if you have arrived at the airport, but your flight gets cancelled? The most important thing — don’t go through the airport security just yet. Your flight is cancelled. There will be a new flight, as China Southern Airlines must offer you a new flight to your destination as soon as possible. Since you will have to check in for that new flight, you have to stay at the landside area where all check in counters are located.
So, don’t go through airport security. Wait!
Try to get in touch with the representatives of China Southern Airlines to learn what’s happening next. Ask for a refund, if you don’t want to take the new flight. If you have already gone through security, try to get back to the public access area of the airport.
- 3 hour flight delay
China Southern Airlines is an airline registered in China.
Despite that, on some flights you are protected by the EU.
If you have to wait at the airport, due to delay, cancellation or overbooking, which has resulted in denied boarding, you have a right to receive care from the China Southern Airlines. The airline has to provide you with two free phone calls or e-mails and also a free meal and drink.
All thanks to Regulation EC 261/2004.
What about cancellations due to extraordinary circumstances? This regulation applies to all flight cancellations of China Southern Airlines, as long as they depart from the EU. Otherwise, the laws of the EU won’t apply. When it comes to right to care, reason of the cancellation doesn’t matter.
- Long delay (Overnight delay)
In this case you have a right to free accommodation.
A free hotel stay and free transfer has to be offered to all affected passengers. However, as it is assessed case by case, sometimes airlines won’t be able to provide it. If, for example, there are just too many passengers and the delay is too short.
2.3 If it is fault of China Southern Airlines
That includes things like technical problems and bad planning.
If that causes a cancellation, it is considered fault of the airline.
And you may also be entitled to EU flight cancellation compensation.
Have you experienced a flight cancellation?
If you have — file a compensation claim.
2.4 Why do flights get cancelled?
Here are some of the top reasons why flights get cancelled.
3. How to claim China Southern Airlines flight delay compensation?
There are three conditions that should be met.
Delay must be due to the fault of China Southern Airlines, and at the destination it must be at least 3 hours long. In addition to that, the affected flight must be departing from the EU. If this is what has happened with your flight, you may get EU flight delay compensation. Keep in mind that in order to get compensation, you have to make a claim.
There are two ways how you can do it.
1. You can do it all on your own.
Contact China Southern Airlines and request flight delay compensation, quoting the Regulation EC 261/2004. Make sure you mention your rights. Be prepared for a refusal even though you are entitled to compensation. Incorrect refusal cause is one of the most popular ways how airlines try to avoid paying passengers the compensation they owe them.
Contact us for help with China Southern Airlines claims.
2. You can hand the case over to us.
If you want a hassle-free option, work with us.
All you will have to do is to fill in one form. And we will do the rest. In this case, we are your legal representatives, which means we will do all the hard work.
When working with us, here is all you will have to do:
- Go to this page;
- Fill in the details about yourself and your flight;
- Upload your boarding pass and passport copy;
- Sign the claim online.
That’s all from you. We will do the rest.
Learn more about EU flight delay compensation.
- How long does it take?
On average it takes about 2 or 3 months.
But it may take longer, especially if you are claiming compensation yourself, and if the airline is refusing your claim. It happens also when you are entitled to compensation.
- How far back can you claim flight delay compensation?
You can claim compensation also for old flights.
Even if you had your flight delayed a while ago, you may still have a right to compensation. It depends on the laws of the country you are flying from. Many countries in Europe will allow you to file a claim for flights up to 2-3 years old. However, we would recommend to make a claim as soon as you return from a trip.
- Does it apply only to citizens of the European Union?
No.
It applies to all passengers, including tourists from outside the EU. You don't have to be European to have these rights. The law protects everyone.
- How much can you claim?
The longer the flight, the more you can claim.
In most cases, the amounts are between 250 to 600 euro per passenger.
These amounts are the same for all passengers travelling on the same flight. No matter the nationality, airline you are flying with, price of the ticket or travel insurance. Even infants can receive full flight compensation if a flight is delayed for 3 or more hours due to fault of the airline. But don’t forget that in case of China Southern Airlines, the flight must depart from the EU. The EU laws don’t apply to flights departing from China or elsewhere outside the EU and the UK.
4. How to claim China Southern Airlines flight cancellation compensation?
There are 3 conditions that should be met.
Cancellation must be due to the fault of airline, and it must be a last-minute cancellation (not more than 14 days before departure date). In addition to that, the flight must depart from the EU. If this is the case, you have a right to EU flight cancellation compensation. There are two ways how you can claim compensation from China Southern Airlines.
1. You can do it all on your own.
You can do it yourself.
Contact the customer service of China Southern Airlines. Refer to the Regulation EC 261/2004, and request a cancellation compensation. It may take a while for the airline to get back to you. Be prepared for refusal and be ready to fight for your rights, if the airline is refusing your claim.
If you are facing problems when claiming compensation yourself, you can always contact us for legal help.
2. You can hand the case over to us.
This is the easiest option. Legally it’s called legal representation. In this case, it’s us who do all the negotiations and prepare all the necessary paperwork. All you have to do is to fill in one form.
When working with us, here is all you will have to do:
- Go to this page;
- Fill in the details about yourself and your flight;
- Upload your boarding pass and passport copy;
- Sign the claim online.
We will do the rest.
Learn more about EU flight cancellation compensation.
- How long does it take?
On average, the process takes 2-3 months.
It may take less if you’re very lucky. But often it takes even more time, especially if the case has to be taken to court. If you work with us, we take your case to court on your behalf. It's zero-risk for you - you pay only if you are getting the money from airline.
- How far back can you claim flight cancellation compensation?
It depends on the laws of the country you are flying from.
But generally, you can claim compensation even if you had your flight cancelled years ago. Many European countries allow you to make a claim up to 2-3 years after the day of cancellation. However, as you can imagine, the sooner you do it, the better.
- Does it apply only to citizens of the European Union?
No, it applies to everyone.
The nationality of the passenger doesn’t matter. All passengers flying from the EU can get China Southern Airlines cancellation compensation.
- How much can you claim?
The amounts are regulated by the European law.
Here is how much you can claim for your flight:
- €250 — if the distance of your flight is up to 1500 kilometres;
- €400 — if the distance is between 1500 to 3500 kilometres;
- €600 — if the distance is more than 3500 kilometres.
These amounts are per passenger. They are exactly the same for all passengers travelling on the same flight. Passenger's nationality, airline the passenger is flying with, price of the ticket or travel insurance doesn’t matter. Even infants can receive full flight compensation if a flight is cancelled due to fault of the airline. In case of China Southern Airlines, the flight must depart from the EU.
5. How to claim China Southern Airlines denied boarding compensation?
You may get denied boarding even if you have a valid ticket.
It happens when an airline sells more tickets than there are seats, but all (or just too many) passengers show up for their flight. This is called overbooking, and it is very common in the aviation industry. If your flight is overbooked, you may be asked to give up your seat. You can agree to that or not. The choice is yours. But whenever you are denied boarding against your will, you have a right to EU denied boarding compensation.
With China Southern Airlines, it applies to flights from Europe.
Compensation amounts are fixed — 250, 400 or 600 euro.
You can get both — a new flight or refund and compensation.
Keep in mind that it applies only to overbooking. If there are problems with your travel documents, your passport expires soon, or if you voluntarily give up your seat, and agree to take another flight later, then you won’t be entitled to compensation from China Southern Airlines.
Check your compensation online!
Learn more about EU denied boarding compensation.
By Europe and EU we mean all EU Member States, the United Kingdom (UK), Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland.
Remember, whenever your China Southern Airlines flight is delayed, cancelled or you have been denied boarding - you might be entitled to flight compensation. File a claim to get it sorted out right away!