“Maintenance” is definitely worth requesting compensation for. See how they respond and act accordingly.
Yochai, here is the letter I wrote to them, and the answer is below -- should I settle for their $300 voucher? It seems like way too low for what I went through:
It's like they're trying to be yotzi with the minimum - but the inconveneince was really hard for me. I thought a 9 hour delay qualifies for 3,000 NIS compensation?
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Customer Care--I am requesting compensation for a flight delay.
I was scheduled to fly from TLV to Newark on Wed. December 26 at 11:10pm, (and then to get a connecting flight to Rochester, NY.)
I received an email from United on Wednesday morning at 8:27am, saying the flight would be delayed. Instead of taking off at 11:10pm that night it would be leaving Thursday morning at 8:02am. That's a 9 hour delay. And United knew the flight would be delayed a full 24 hours before -- so it's clear that United had a planning and management issue that caused the flight delay. When I arrived at the airport Thursday morning, I was told by a United worker the plane had just arrived, about an hour before it was scheduled to depart TLV, delayed in Newark because of maintenance.
And here is why I'm writing to you -- I am an older person with full disability here in Israel. It's hard for me to get around. Instead of going to the airport Wed night and sleeping on a chair, I decided to wake up at 4am and get a taxi to the airport -- that cost me 270 Shekels out of pocket. It would have been much less if I had taken the direct train to the airport the night before as planned.
I am requesting the maximum compensation available for a 9 hour flight delay.
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And in their return email, I received this:
An Electronic Travel Certificate has been issued -- Total Value: $300.00
By accepting this travel certificate you release United; the operating carrier, and their respective employees, agents and representatives from any and all liability, claims or damages resulting or arising from the matters relating to your flight, compensation therefore or any related complaint.
5) This Travel Certificate will not be honored in conjunction with prepaid tickets, fee-waived tickets,
MileagePlus awards, tour packages or other service charges, including excess baggage charges, pet charges, etc.