The legal assessment must go beyond a general rule. A claim often fails not because of the legal rule but because times are unclear, the operating carrier is misidentified or expenses are unproven. Evidence must be structured from the outset.
Legal basis and boundaries
Evidence for flight claims: times, cause and file structure is assessed under directly applicable European rules, relevant conventions and case law. Fixed compensation is separated from care, reimbursement, rerouting and specific loss. This prevents rejection of one remedy from being treated as rejection of every right.
Territorial and personal scope
The first step is to establish departure, destination, booking structure, operating carrier and timely presentation. On connections, codeshare or wet lease, the brand displayed on the ticket is not always the legally decisive carrier. Every segment and the journey as a whole are placed on one timeline.
Specific conditions of the claim
A claim often fails not because of the legal rule but because times are unclear, the operating carrier is misidentified or expenses are unproven. Evidence must be structured from the outset. Passenger conduct, voluntary arrangements, benefits already received and the precise remedy must also be recorded. An automated calculation is only an initial classification and cannot replace fact finding.
Airline defences and verification
A defence must be flight-specific, chronologically traceable and supported by evidence. General labels such as operational reasons, safety or extraordinary circumstances are insufficient. Flymoney separates the primary event from later planning decisions, rotation effects and the reasonable measures that were realistically available.
Calculating each remedy separately
Potential compensation, necessary expenses, ticket price, rerouting and other proven loss are not merged into one opaque sum. For every item, the legal basis, calculation, evidence and payment route are recorded.
Detailed legal assessment
For Evidence for flight claims: times, cause and file structure, territorial scope, the responsible operating carrier, the timeline, the cause and the specific legal consequence must be established separately. An airline’s internal status code is not decisive; verifiable facts are. A claim often fails not because of the legal rule but because times are unclear, the operating carrier is misidentified or expenses are unproven. Evidence must be structured from the outset. The review must also distinguish fixed compensation, reimbursement, rerouting, care and proven additional loss.
Decision matrix for the claim review
This matrix prevents separate legal bases from being mixed together.
| Review question | Required evidence | Legal significance |
|---|---|---|
| Which fact needs proof? | evidential purpose and legal basis | Prevents an unstructured document collection. |
| Is the source authentic and dated? | original file and metadata | Improves traceability and weight. |
| Does it relate to the specific flight? | flight number, date and location | Avoids confusion with general data. |
| Is the chain complete? | chronology and cross-references | Reveals gaps and contradictions. |
Evidence checklist for the file
A robust file contains more than a booking confirmation. For Evidence for flight claims: times, cause and file structure, the following material should in particular be preserved:
- original booking, ticket number and booking reference
- boarding passes and baggage tags
- screenshots with visible date and time
- original emails, texts and app messages
- invoices, bank statements and payment evidence
Case law and practical significance
The judgment in Germanwings, case C-452/13 is particularly relevant to this subject. The Court chose an objectively verifiable threshold for arrival time, showing why precise timing evidence matters more than generic flight-status labels. The judgment does not replace an individual review, but it identifies the legally decisive facts and prevents unsupported airline assertions from being accepted at face value.
Strategic order of assessment
A reliable assessment follows a fixed order:
- Preserve the booking, boarding pass, flight number, route and co passengers.
- Record scheduled and actual times from more than one independent source.
- Arrange carrier messages, photographs, location data and receipts chronologically.
- Separate fact, allegation, source and legal conclusion.
- Include only verifiable material in one consistent evidence schedule.
Related assessment routes
This assessment often connects with other subjects:
Check the claim systematically · Legal review and editorial responsibility
Frequently asked questions
Which five documents matter for almost every flight claim?
Booking confirmation, boarding pass, airline messages, evidence of actual arrival and receipts for personal expenses usually form the core file.
Are screenshots useful evidence?
Yes, where the source, date, time and flight connection are visible. Preserve the original message or export the page as a PDF where possible.
How can I document the door-opening time?
Record it immediately, keep photographs or messages and compare baggage delivery and connection data. Several consistent indicators can create a strong timeline.
Which weather and flight data are reliable?
Prefer official or properly archived sources with location and time. General forecasts or undated tracking images are much weaker.
Why must each expense receipt be explained?
The airline must be able to assess necessity, connection and reasonableness. Link every receipt to an event, date and purpose.