What is Duty of care?

Duty of care covers meals, means of communication and, where needed, accommodation and transfers that an airline owes during a wait.

Also called: Care obligations.

How it works#

The obligation applies regardless of what caused the disruption, and it applies even when no compensation is owed. It starts after defined waiting times that depend on flight distance. If the airline provides nothing, passengers may pay reasonable costs themselves and claim them back, receipts are the precondition for that, not an optional extra.

Not to be confused with#

Duty of care is not the same as compensation: care meets actual needs during the wait, compensation is a flat statutory sum.

In German#

The German term is Betreuungsleistungen. German version of this term

Related terms#

• EU passenger rights regulation: The EU passenger rights regulation is the European law governing claims for cancellation, long delay and denied boarding, regardless of ticket price.
• Irregular operations: Irregular operations describe a situation in which an airline’s schedule breaks down broadly, through weather, strikes or a systems failure.
• Trip delay insurance: Trip delay insurance is a card benefit that reimburses necessary extra costs during a long delay or an interrupted trip, such as hotels and meals.

Articles that use this term#

• When does an airline have to pay for your hotel and meals?
• What do you do first when your flight is cancelled?
• How much are you owed for a delayed flight?
• What do US airlines owe you when your flight is cancelled?