How a travel management company helps you secure delayed flight compensation
Because busy teams need clearer processes and fewer travel disruptions
Flight disruption has quietly become one of the biggest drains on business travel budgets. And 2025 has been especially unforgiving. Delays across Europe have surged by 54% this year, with 16% of all flights operated by the top 20 European airlines affected. Weather, crew shortages, operational issues, strikes, runway closures – the reasons vary, but the impact lands on your business every single time.
For travellers, a missed or delayed flight means stress and lost time. For companies, it means rearranged meetings, extra hotel nights, overtime costs, frustrated staff and complicated paperwork. And while most employees qualify for delayed flight compensation, claiming it often falls through the cracks because nobody has the time (or energy) to fight airlines for weeks on end.
That’s where a travel management company can help. Instead of travellers chasing forms and hunting for evidence, your TMC handles the entire process – checking eligibility, gathering proof, submitting claims and keeping everything aligned with your business travel insurance. It’s support that matters whether your team is flying short-haul for site visits or booking business class flights for long-haul operations.
Below, we’ll break down exactly how compensation works, why so many businesses miss out, and how the right travel management partner (including Roomex) makes sure you actually recover the money you’re owed.
How delayed flight compensation actually works
When a flight gets pushed back or cancelled, most travellers know they might be entitled to money back. What fewer people realise is just how much compensation is available – and how often businesses miss out simply because nobody files the claim.
Under EU261, UK261 and equivalent global regulations, airlines must compensate passengers when their flight arrives significantly late, unless the delay was caused by extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or air traffic control restrictions.
Here’s how the rules typically work:
Support gets stretched
Travellers may be eligible for delayed flight compensation when:
- Their arrival is delayed by 3 hours or more
- Their flight is cancelled with short notice
- They are denied boarding due to overbooking
- Their airline is responsible for the disruption (e.g., staffing, maintenance, scheduling, crew hours)
This applies no matter if the ticket was economy or business class flights, and whether the passenger travelled for leisure or work.
What companies can actually claim
The compensation amount varies by distance, not ticket price. We’ll dig into the exact amounts later in the blog, but most payments fall between €250 and €600 per traveller.
For businesses, that adds up quickly. A team of four delayed on a work trip could be owed €2,400 in compensation alone – not including additional reimbursement for meals, accommodation or transport the airline must legally cover.
Why businesses struggle to claim
Even when companies know compensation is available, claiming it is a time-sink. The most common blockers include:
- Missing documentation (boarding passes, booking references, timestamps)
- Unclear eligibility
- Staff not reporting delays because they assume it’s pointless
- Teams travelling without structured support
- Administrative backlogs
- Airlines taking weeks to respond or asking for more information
This is where a good business travel platform becomes invaluable. Instead of travellers chasing airline forms, the system handles everything centrally with the right proof, timestamps and reporting.
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Workforce travel doesn’t fit neatly into corporate workflows
Most platforms are built for office-based business travellers hopping between client meetings. They’re not designed for engineers, installers or contractors who need practical, affordable stays – often for weeks at a time.
How this impacts your business travel insurance
Many companies rely on business travel insurance to cover unexpected costs, but insurance and airline compensation are not the same thing. Insurance typically covers incidentals such as:
- Replacement items for lost baggage
- Hotel nights when airlines refuse
- Emergency costs
But insurance won’t claim compensation on your behalf. And insurers often require proof that the airline refused to compensate first.
This is exactly why pairing robust insurance with a travel management company lifts the pressure: the TMC ensures the airline meets its legal obligations before anything needs to flow through insurance.
Why using a travel management company gives you a better chance of getting compensated
Most travellers don’t claim compensation on their own. Not because they don’t qualify, but because they don’t have the time, the proof, or the patience to navigate airline forms. For companies managing dozens or hundreds of trips a month, those missed claims add up to serious lost money.
This is where a dedicated business travel platform like ours becomes more than a booking tool. It acts as a safety net that catches every disruption, documents it properly, and submits claims long before they fall through the cracks.
Here’s why companies who use a managed platform recover more compensation
1. Every delay is logged automatically
Employees often forget the exact arrival time or lose the boarding pass that proves a delay. A travel platform tracks itineraries in real time, so when a flight is pushed back or cancelled, you already have:
- Timestamped proof
- The original itinerary
- The final arrival time
- The reason for the disruption (where available)
That’s the documentation airlines look for when processing delayed flight compensation.
2. No more incomplete or missed claims
Airlines reject thousands of claims every year because the traveller forgets a document or fills in a detail incorrectly. A managed solution standardises the process so every claim includes:
- Flight number
- Distance category
- Delay duration
- Passenger details
- Proof of booking
- Proof of delay
It takes the admin away from travellers and dramatically improves the success rate.
3. Centralised claims reduce time and pressure on employees
Employees already balance travel, meetings and deadlines. Handing them a long compensation form on the side is a guaranteed way for claims to be forgotten.
A managed platform submits compensation requests on their behalf, so they stay focused on their work, not airline paperwork.
4. It complements your business travel insurance, not replaces it
Insurance comes into play when you need cover for hotels, luggage or emergencies. Compensation comes into play when the airline is legally responsible for the disruption.
A structured travel platform makes sure the airline pays what it owes before insurance needs to get involved. That reduces claims, saves time and keeps premiums under control.
5. Finance gets visibility of how much is owed back
For finance managers, unmanaged claims mean unmanaged money. With centralised reporting, teams can see:
- Total delays across the business
- Compensation owed per month
- Patterns that might justify policy changes
- High-risk routes or airlines
It turns compensation from a “nice to have” into a measurable revenue recovery stream.
What compensation can business travellers claim for delayed or cancelled flights?
When a flight disruption hits, companies often underestimate how much money is actually recoverable. Under EU & UK regulations (EU261/UK261), many business travellers are entitled to fixed-rate compensation based on flight distance and length of delay – not the ticket price.
This is where things get interesting for finance teams. A single long-haul delay can be worth hundreds of pounds in recoverable compensation, and across a full travel programme, the numbers add up fast.
Here’s what travellers can claim
Compensation levels (EU261/UK261):
- €250 / £220 – flights up to 1,500km
- €400 / £350 – flights between 1,500–3,500km
- €600 / £520 – flights over 3,500km
These apply when the delay at arrival is 3 hours or more, or when the flight is cancelled at short notice.
When companies are entitled to compensation
A delay or cancellation qualifies when:
- The flight departed from the UK or EU, or landed in the UK/EU with an EU/UK airline
- The passenger reached their final destination 3+ hours late
- The disruption was within the airline’s control
This includes:
- Operational issues
- Crew shortages
- Technical problems
- Poor scheduling
- Overbooking
These account for a large percentage of delays – especially with the 54% rise in disruption seen in early 2025.
When compensation doesn’t apply
The rules exclude “extraordinary circumstances”, such as:
- Severe weather
- Air traffic control strikes
- Airport closure
- Political unrest
- Bird strikes
However, even in these situations, airlines must still provide care (meals, hotels, rerouting) even if compensation isn’t due.
What about missed connections?
If travellers miss a connection because the first flight was delayed, the entire journey counts as one itinerary.
If the delay at the final destination is 3+ hours, compensation applies – even if the second flight was operated by another airline.
Why businesses should treat compensation as part of cost control
Most travellers either don’t know the rules or don’t have time to file claims. That’s why unmanaged travel programmes leave thousands of pounds unclaimed every year. For companies running regular domestic and international trips, compensation recovery is a line of savings that should be predictable and measurable.
Why most companies never claim flight compensation and what it means for your travel spend
Even though the rules are clear, the reality on the ground looks very different. Most compensation that companies could recover is never claimed. Not because travellers aren’t eligible – but because the process is messy, slow and easy to forget once the trip is over.
For organisations that manage regular business class flights, site visits, rotations or client trips, this creates a blind spot that quietly chips away at budgets.
The main reasons business travellers miss out
- Employees don’t track delays
Most travellers don’t know whether their delay qualifies. A flight that feels “slightly late” can easily pass the 3-hour threshold once you factor in taxiing, missed slots or connection issues. - Claims take time that nobody has
Filing a claim means digging out booking references, boarding passes, timelines and airline forms. By the time a traveller returns home, catches up on work and sorts expenses, the claim window is often missed. - Nobody owns the process
Finance thinks travel should handle it. Travel thinks employees should handle it. Employees assume the airline will contact them directly.
In the end, no one takes responsibility – and compensation never arrives. - Travellers pay personally for disruptions
Without support, employees end up fronting the cost of meals, hotels or rerouted bookings. This impacts wellbeing and morale, especially for workers who travel frequently or spend long periods away from home.
5. Businesses lack visibility
Without a central place to track delays, missed connections or cancellations, finance teams have no realistic view of how much compensation is owed – or how much is being lost.
The cost for companies
When delays rise (as they did by 54% in 2025) this becomes a real financial issue.
Over a full year of trips, unclaimed compensation adds up to:
- Thousands lost in missed cash payments
- Higher overall trip costs
- Lower confidence from travellers
- More time spent resolving issues on the road
This is exactly why many companies now lean on travel specialists who handle compensation automatically. The less your team needs to chase airlines, upload documents or fill out forms, the more predictable your travel spend becomes.
How Roomex helps companies recover missed flight compensation and support travellers during delays
When a flight is delayed or cancelled, the traveller shouldn’t have to become an expert in EU regulations, chase forms or guess whether they’re eligible for compensation. Roomex takes that pressure off both employees and the teams who manage them.
We already streamline Delay Repay for rail, and we apply the same level of support, tracking and admin-light processes when flights go wrong.
What Roomex does for companies when delays happen
- We track delays automatically
Because Roomex stores booking data, flight details and traveller itineraries, we can monitor disruption without relying on employees to report issues. If a delay crosses the threshold for potential delayed flight compensation, we flag it.
- We step in before travellers feel the impact
Instead of travellers scrambling at the gate, Roomex can help coordinate rebooking, check availability at nearby hotels and make sure the traveller isn’t left stranded. For workers travelling to projects, site visits or early-morning client meetings, this kind of support matters.
- We guide travellers through the compensation claim (or do it on their behalf)
Employees shouldn’t lose time battling airline forms. Roomex:
- Confirms whether the delay meets compensation thresholds
- Helps gather documentation (boarding passes, confirmations, timings)
- Submits the compensation claim directly where permitted
- Tracks the progress until it’s resolved
Nothing slips through the cracks, and finance teams don’t have to chase travellers for missing evidence.
- We help companies recover costs linked to disruptions
Compensation isn’t the only financial impact of a delay. Extra meals, taxis, hotel nights and rebooked business class flights all add up.
Roomex centralises:
- Receipts
- Additional costs
- Rebooking details
- Airline reimbursements
This gives finance complete visibility and a clean audit trail.
- We remove the admin burden from your internal teams
Travel managers, HR and finance don’t need to review claims, explain rules, or intervene late in the process. Roomex handles everything end-to-end so your team stays focused on their real jobs.
- We ensure travellers feel supported – not abandoned
A delay is frustrating enough. What travellers want is reassurance that someone is handling the disruption quickly and professionally. Roomex offers real human support via phone or live chat, so employees aren’t left figuring things out at 11pm in an airport.
A smarter way for companies to handle delays
Flight disruption isn’t rare anymore – it’s part of today’s travel landscape. With delays up 54% this year across Europe, companies can’t afford to treat compensation as something travellers handle on their own. Too many claims go unsubmitted, too many missed hours go unaccounted for, and too much avoidable cost sits on the company rather than the airline.
That’s where the right travel partner changes everything.
Roomex gives businesses a single, reliable process for managing delays, tracking entitlements and recovering money that would otherwise slip through the cracks. Your teams don’t need to memorise EU261 rules, chase receipts or trawl airline portals. We do the heavy lifting – from spotting eligible disruptions to guiding travellers through the fastest route to a successful claim.
It’s exactly what busy HR, finance and travel managers need: clarity, support and a process that protects both wellbeing and budgets.
If delays are becoming a constant feature of your business trips, now is the time to put control back in your hands.
Take the work out of managing flight disruption
See how Roomex helps you stay compliant, recover costs and support business travellers when schedules go sideways.
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