Alitalia flight delayed or cancelled? Here is what you should do

Your rights in the event of a delayed or cancelled Alitaila flight

As Alitalia is based in Italy, if your Alitalia flight gets cancelled or delayed, your rights are protected under EU Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, also known as EU261. The regulation states that if your flight is delayed or cancelled, you may be entitled to flight compensation.

Were you flying with Alitalia from or to the UK? In that case, your rights are also protected by the 'The Air Passenger Rights and Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019'. It's a British version of EU261, enacted after Brexit.

• Was your Alitalia flight delayed? You likely qualify for flight compensation if you reached your final destination at least 3 hours late.

• Was your Alitalia flight cancelled? You are eligible for a refund if you declined the airline's alternate flight offer. Additionally, if the flight was canceled with less than 14 days to departure, you may be eligible for compensation for a cancelled Alitalia flight.

• Airlines are required to give passengers specific aid or the "right to care," regardless of the reason for the flight disruption. Vouchers for food and drinks, communication services, and, if necessary, lodging and transportation are all included. If the airline won't issue you a voucher, simply go out and purchase what you require; they will be obligated to reimburse you for those costs (as long as they are justified). You can claim those right at the airline's service desk at the airport.

A word of caution: You will not be eligible for flight compensation if your flight was delayed or cancelled due to an "extraordinary circumstance" because the airline must be at fault for the disruption in order to compensate passengers.

I am travelling outside of the UK/EU with Alitalia. Am I still eligible for compensation?

Because Alitalia is an airline based within the EU, yes. In other cases, this may not be so - see the table below for details.

Type of flight	Example	Compensation
Flying with a British carrier	Tokyo to London with British Airways	Yes
Flying with a EU carrier	Amsterdam to London with KLM	Yes
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier from the UK	London to Tokyo with Japan Airlines	Yes
Flying with a non-UK/non-EU carrier to the UK	Tokyo to London with Japan Airlines	No

Alitalia compensation for delayed flight

Did you arrive at your final destination more than 3 hours late because of your delayed Alitalia flight? Then you may be eligible for Alitalia flight compensation of up to £520!

Alitalia compensation for cancelled flight

In the event of a cancelled Alitalia flight and depending on the specifics of the cancellation, you might be entitled to a ticket refund, compensation of up to £520, or both.

When can I claim compensation for my cancelled Alitalia flight?

If your Alitalia flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days before the scheduled departure of your flight, you could claim cancelled flight compensation.

You must also consider extraordinary circumstances, such as a natural disaster preventing the flight’s takeoff — if these extraordinary circumstances apply to your flight, you may not be eligible for compensation.

When can I claim a refund for my cancelled Alitalia flight?

If your flight was cancelled and you did not take an alternative flight offered by the airline, you are eligible for a Alitalia ticket refund. If you were not offered an alternative flight, you can also benefit from a ticket refund.

Cancellation notice	Alternative flight	Compensation
Fewer than 7 days in advance	Departs 1h+ earlier or arrived 2h+ later	Yes
7-14 days in advance	Departs 2h+ earlier or arrived 4h+ later	Yes
Fewer than 14 days in advance	No alternative flight offered	Yes + refund

Alitalia is offering me a travel voucher instead of a refund — should I accept it?

We do not advise accepting a travel voucher in lieu of a refund. Here is why:

1. Accepting a travel voucher forces you to fly with the same airline in the future. Also, the airline usually assigns a deadline to use the voucher.

2. If the airline declares bankruptcy, you might no longer be able to convert your voucher into a cash refund — in other words, your money will be lost.

=> Have you already accepted a Alitalia travel voucher? You might be able to change it for a monetary refund.

Alitalia overbooked flight — get a refund, compensation and extra care

Overbooked flights happen more often than you could think! Airlines frequently sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane, and if they can't find enough volunteers to give up their reservations, people may be denied boarding against their will.

=> More about your rights in the event of an Alitalia overbooked flight

Extraordinary circumstances — can Alitalia deny me compensation?

If Alitalia was not responsible for the delay, cancellation or denied boarding, they can deny your claim for flight compensation. Those situations are referred to as Extraordinary Circumstances.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the most common extraordinary circumstances that allow Alitalia to deny your claim:

• Bad weather conditions, such as thick fog, heavy rain, or thunderstorms.

• A strike, most often specifically within the aviation industry (for example, a strike of air traffic control workers at a specific airport).

  However, a strike of the airline's crew is not considered an extraordinary circumstance!

• Political circumstances, such as a terrorist attack or general security risk due to political unrest.

• Natural disasters, including volcanic eruptions and hurricanes.

• A collision between the aircraft and birds or other foreign objects.

• An ill or unruly passenger.

• Flight delays caused by the airport staff, such as extraordinarily long queues to security checks.

You should be aware, however, that airlines sometimes claim that extraordinary circumstances occurred when they actually did not! They do so in hope of avoiding having to pay out flight compensation to passengers.

Claim your compensation and refund with Flight-Delayed.co.uk today to increase your chances of receiving Alitalia compensation and refund. We will thoroughly investigate your claim and hold the airline accountable. We work on a 'no win, no fee' basis for your convenience.

Check your Alitalia flight status 

If you want to be kept up-to-date on the status of your flight, you can do this by visiting the airline’s or the airport’s website. You simply input your flight details to receive detailed updates about any changes, delays, or cancellations, which helps you rest assured that all is going to plan.

How much Alitalia compensation can I get for a delayed or cancelled flight?

It depends on the distance travelled by the flight:

Distance of your flight	Compensation
Flights shorter than 1,500 km	Get £220 per passenger
Flight between 1,500 and 3,500 km	Get £350 per passenger
Flights of over 1,500 kilometres within the EU	Get £350 per passenger
Flights of over 3,500 kilometres outside of the EU	Get £520 per passenger

How long do I have to claim my Alitalia compensation and refund?

If you were flying to or from the UK, you have 6 years to claim Alitalia flight compensation / Alitalia flight refund. Scotland is the exception, as there you have 5 years to claim.

If your itinerary did not include the UK, local laws will apply.

Use our free Claim Calculator to check if you can still claim Alitalia compensation and refund.

=> Check if you can still claim Alitalia compensation and refund

How long will it take to get my Alitalia compensation / Alitalia refund?

Passengers who claim flight refund or compensation with Flight-Delayed.co.uk usually receive their money within a few weeks or months.

However, if the claim must be filed in court and/or if the airline is unresponsive, the wait time could be extended by several months or even years.

No matter how long your claim process takes, our legal experts will be in touch every step of the way and keep you updated on any significant changes to your claim.

How to claim Alitalia compensation / Alitalia refund?

Claim flight compensation with Flight-Delayed.co.uk the fastest and easiest way to get your well deserved money back!

Our experts take care of the whole claim process on your behalf, making sure that the airline complies by sending you the flight compensation you deserve.

About Alitalia

Alitalia was founded in 1946 and now operates a fleet size of 113 aircraft. The Italian airline is operating up to 82 international destinations in 86 different countries. What is significant is that the airline has a high on-time performance, which in January 2020 was at 92%, ranking in 14th place amongst the top 50 on-time airlines across the globe.