The Dublin compensation is an episode John Kiriakou recounted in September 2025 as an example of what passengers are entitled to elsewhere and not in the United States.
What happened
A mechanical problem in Madrid delayed his flight; the airline eventually repaired the aircraft and sent him to Dublin, where he missed his Washington connection. His view of the liability was straightforward: “It’s not my fault I missed the connection. Their plane was broken.”[1]
At the information desk he found they were expecting him by name — “Oh, yes, yes, we’ve been waiting for you. You’re Mr. Kiriakou” — and that the remedy had already been arranged. There was no flight to Washington until the following day, “so we’ve booked you in this four-star hotel with buffet breakfast that could feed an army”, and “your ticket was $1,200. We’re going to refund $600.”[1][2]
A shuttle bus was waiting for the passengers who had to stay the night, check-in was expedited, and the hotel was “a gorgeous hotel in the center of Dublin” with a gigantic buffet. He spent the afternoon sightseeing and flew out the next morning.[2][3]
The money followed: “about six weeks later, I got my $600 transferred into my checking account.” His reaction was to ask why it does not happen at home — “the craziest thing. How come we don’t do that?”[3]
What he thinks the rule should be
Kiriakou and his host go further than the European standard. Compensation should extend even to weather delays, which are nobody’s fault — the airline should not fly into a storm — with the cost met from a fund built out of a levy on fares. The standard need not be lavish: “maybe you don’t put them up at the four-star hotel, but they should be able to go to the Ramada or the Marriott or whatever.” His conclusion: “everybody should do this.”[4][5]