#mwcbarcelona — Public Fediverse posts

Weekly output: AT&T OneConnect, federal privacy fears, Artemis II, better inflight WiFi, 6G

This week started with me in Chicago for the Online News Association’s conference, then had a quick trip to Boston to see family for Easter, and tomorrow will have me off to San Francisco for the HumanX conference to lead two panels there. 

I wrote an extra post Tuesday for Patreon readers recapping some scenes from SXSW, including a not-yet-campaign appearance by California governor Gavin Newsom and a stemwinder of a speech by Patreon founder Jack Conte on how human creativity can endure through the rise of AI.

3/31/2026: AT&T OneConnect Bundles Fiber, Wireless, Doesn’t Say What Mobile Service You Get, PCMag

I had just enough spare time at ONA to field this story–even factoring in time to try, without success, to get AT&T to explain just what wireless plan subscribers would get with this new offering.

4/1/2026: The One Thing Americans Can Agree On: The Feds Collect Too Much Personal Data, PCMag

I wrote up this study by the Center for Democracy & Technology a day after it was published Tuesday in part because I had nearly no free time on day two of ONA.

4/1/2026: NASA Launches Artemis II, Its First Moonshot Since 1972, PCMag

I watched the launch Wednesday evening of Artemis II with fingers crossed through main engine cutoff, then followed the first few hours of the mission while writing up this post. I updated the story a day later after the translunar injection burn of the Orion spacecraft’s service module engine committed astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a flight around the Moon and then back to Earth. I can’t wait to see this American and Canadian crew’s Earthrise photos.

4/2/2026: Fast, Free Wi-Fi Now Arriving at These Airlines, AARP

I showed up at my occasional client’s site not as a writer but as a subject-matter expert, courtesy of AARP writer Berit Thorkelson quizzing me over e-mail for this piece about how low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink are upgrading inflight WiFi.

4/3/2026: Unfortunately, It’s Time to Talk About 6G. Here’s What You Need to Know, PCMag

I got most of my reporting for this done at MWC Barcelona, but then needed a little more time to collect some industry insight about the wireless industry’s curious rush to hype 6G when so many of its customers are still trying to discern how 5G is supposed to make a noticeable difference in their everyday phone experience.

Weekly output: AT&T OneConnect, federal privacy fears, Artemis II, better inflight WiFi, 6G

This week started with me in Chicago for the Online News Association’s conference, then had a quick trip to Boston to see family for Easter, and tomorrow will have me off to San Francisco for the HumanX conference to lead two panels there. 

I wrote an extra post Tuesday for Patreon readers recapping some scenes from SXSW, including a not-yet-campaign appearance by California governor Gavin Newsom and a stemwinder of a speech by Patreon founder Jack Conte on how human creativity can endure through the rise of AI.

3/31/2026: AT&T OneConnect Bundles Fiber, Wireless, Doesn’t Say What Mobile Service You Get, PCMag

I had just enough spare time at ONA to field this story–even factoring in time to try, without success, to get AT&T to explain just what wireless plan subscribers would get with this new offering.

4/1/2026: The One Thing Americans Can Agree On: The Feds Collect Too Much Personal Data, PCMag

I wrote up this study by the Center for Democracy & Technology a day after it was published Tuesday in part because I had nearly no free time on day two of ONA.

4/1/2026: NASA Launches Artemis II, Its First Moonshot Since 1972, PCMag

I watched the launch Wednesday evening of Artemis II with fingers crossed through main engine cutoff, then followed the first few hours of the mission while writing up this post. I updated the story a day later after the translunar injection burn of the Orion spacecraft’s service module engine committed astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a flight around the Moon and then back to Earth. I can’t wait to see this American and Canadian crew’s Earthrise photos.

4/2/2026: Fast, Free Wi-Fi Now Arriving at These Airlines, AARP

I showed up at my occasional client’s site not as a writer but as a subject-matter expert, courtesy of AARP writer Berit Thorkelson quizzing me over e-mail for this piece about how low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink are upgrading inflight WiFi.

4/3/2026: Unfortunately, It’s Time to Talk About 6G. Here’s What You Need to Know, PCMag

I got most of my reporting for this done at MWC Barcelona, but then needed a little more time to collect some industry insight about the wireless industry’s curious rush to hype 6G when so many of its customers are still trying to discern how 5G is supposed to make a noticeable difference in their everyday phone experience.

Weekly output: AT&T OneConnect, federal privacy fears, Artemis II, better inflight WiFi, 6G

This week started with me in Chicago for the Online News Association’s conference, then had a quick trip to Boston to see family for Easter, and tomorrow will have me off to San Francisco for the HumanX conference to lead two panels there. 

I wrote an extra post Tuesday for Patreon readers recapping some scenes from SXSW, including a not-yet-campaign appearance by California governor Gavin Newsom and a stemwinder of a speech by Patreon founder Jack Conte on how human creativity can endure through the rise of AI.

3/31/2026: AT&T OneConnect Bundles Fiber, Wireless, Doesn’t Say What Mobile Service You Get, PCMag

I had just enough spare time at ONA to field this story–even factoring in time to try, without success, to get AT&T to explain just what wireless plan subscribers would get with this new offering.

4/1/2026: The One Thing Americans Can Agree On: The Feds Collect Too Much Personal Data, PCMag

I wrote up this study by the Center for Democracy & Technology a day after it was published Tuesday in part because I had nearly no free time on day two of ONA.

4/1/2026: NASA Launches Artemis II, Its First Moonshot Since 1972, PCMag

I watched the launch Wednesday evening of Artemis II with fingers crossed through main engine cutoff, then followed the first few hours of the mission while writing up this post. I updated the story a day later after the translunar injection burn of the Orion spacecraft’s service module engine committed astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a flight around the Moon and then back to Earth. I can’t wait to see this American and Canadian crew’s Earthrise photos.

4/2/2026: Fast, Free Wi-Fi Now Arriving at These Airlines, AARP

I showed up at my occasional client’s site not as a writer but as a subject-matter expert, courtesy of AARP writer Berit Thorkelson quizzing me over e-mail for this piece about how low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink are upgrading inflight WiFi.

4/3/2026: Unfortunately, It’s Time to Talk About 6G. Here’s What You Need to Know, PCMag

I got most of my reporting for this done at MWC Barcelona, but then needed a little more time to collect some industry insight about the wireless industry’s curious rush to hype 6G when so many of its customers are still trying to discern how 5G is supposed to make a noticeable difference in their everyday phone experience.

Weekly output: AT&T OneConnect, federal privacy fears, Artemis II, better inflight WiFi, 6G

This week started with me in Chicago for the Online News Association’s conference, then had a quick trip to Boston to see family for Easter, and tomorrow will have me off to San Francisco for the HumanX conference to lead two panels there. 

I wrote an extra post Tuesday for Patreon readers recapping some scenes from SXSW, including a not-yet-campaign appearance by California governor Gavin Newsom and a stemwinder of a speech by Patreon founder Jack Conte on how human creativity can endure through the rise of AI.

3/31/2026: AT&T OneConnect Bundles Fiber, Wireless, Doesn’t Say What Mobile Service You Get, PCMag

I had just enough spare time at ONA to field this story–even factoring in time to try, without success, to get AT&T to explain just what wireless plan subscribers would get with this new offering.

4/1/2026: The One Thing Americans Can Agree On: The Feds Collect Too Much Personal Data, PCMag

I wrote up this study by the Center for Democracy & Technology a day after it was published Tuesday in part because I had nearly no free time on day two of ONA.

4/1/2026: NASA Launches Artemis II, Its First Moonshot Since 1972, PCMag

I watched the launch Wednesday evening of Artemis II with fingers crossed through main engine cutoff, then followed the first few hours of the mission while writing up this post. I updated the story a day later after the translunar injection burn of the Orion spacecraft’s service module engine committed astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a flight around the Moon and then back to Earth. I can’t wait to see this American and Canadian crew’s Earthrise photos.

4/2/2026: Fast, Free Wi-Fi Now Arriving at These Airlines, AARP

I showed up at my occasional client’s site not as a writer but as a subject-matter expert, courtesy of AARP writer Berit Thorkelson quizzing me over e-mail for this piece about how low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink are upgrading inflight WiFi.

4/3/2026: Unfortunately, It’s Time to Talk About 6G. Here’s What You Need to Know, PCMag

I got most of my reporting for this done at MWC Barcelona, but then needed a little more time to collect some industry insight about the wireless industry’s curious rush to hype 6G when so many of its customers are still trying to discern how 5G is supposed to make a noticeable difference in their everyday phone experience.

Weekly output: AT&T OneConnect, federal privacy fears, Artemis II, better inflight WiFi, 6G

This week started with me in Chicago for the Online News Association’s conference, then had a quick trip to Boston to see family for Easter, and tomorrow will have me off to San Francisco for the HumanX conference to lead two panels there. 

I wrote an extra post Tuesday for Patreon readers recapping some scenes from SXSW, including a not-yet-campaign appearance by California governor Gavin Newsom and a stemwinder of a speech by Patreon founder Jack Conte on how human creativity can endure through the rise of AI.

3/31/2026: AT&T OneConnect Bundles Fiber, Wireless, Doesn’t Say What Mobile Service You Get, PCMag

I had just enough spare time at ONA to field this story–even factoring in time to try, without success, to get AT&T to explain just what wireless plan subscribers would get with this new offering.

4/1/2026: The One Thing Americans Can Agree On: The Feds Collect Too Much Personal Data, PCMag

I wrote up this study by the Center for Democracy & Technology a day after it was published Tuesday in part because I had nearly no free time on day two of ONA.

4/1/2026: NASA Launches Artemis II, Its First Moonshot Since 1972, PCMag

I watched the launch Wednesday evening of Artemis II with fingers crossed through main engine cutoff, then followed the first few hours of the mission while writing up this post. I updated the story a day later after the translunar injection burn of the Orion spacecraft’s service module engine committed astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on a flight around the Moon and then back to Earth. I can’t wait to see this American and Canadian crew’s Earthrise photos.

4/2/2026: Fast, Free Wi-Fi Now Arriving at These Airlines, AARP

I showed up at my occasional client’s site not as a writer but as a subject-matter expert, courtesy of AARP writer Berit Thorkelson quizzing me over e-mail for this piece about how low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink are upgrading inflight WiFi.

4/3/2026: Unfortunately, It’s Time to Talk About 6G. Here’s What You Need to Know, PCMag

I got most of my reporting for this done at MWC Barcelona, but then needed a little more time to collect some industry insight about the wireless industry’s curious rush to hype 6G when so many of its customers are still trying to discern how 5G is supposed to make a noticeable difference in their everyday phone experience.

Weekly output: Android updates, disposable tech, Starlink Mobile, AST SpaceMobile

I got back from MWC Barcelona Thursday, and this coming Friday I’m off to Austin for SXSW. I’m returning to that talkfest after a year off because for the first time since 2019, I’ll be contributing to the banter on the program–I’m moderating a panel about, of all things, video-game culture.

3/3/2026: Android Gets Location-Tracking Features That iOS Users Have Had for Ages, PCMag

This was the only post I had a client publish this week that I easily could have written from home. Instead, I filed it from the press room at MWC Barcelona–and then a late clarification from a Google publicist required me to send a revised paragraph to my editor in a Slack message I sent from the Barcelona metro.

3/4/2026: Slow Tech Uprising, Back Market

I moderated this panel about disposable tech at an event hosted by Back Market that also featured a screening of Dandora: A Fast Tech Story, a short film produced by that refurbished-gadgets marketplace. With four other people on stage–Joy Howard, Back Market’s chief marketing officer; Alexander Kuscher, a senior director for ChromeOS at Google; Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies; and Gaia Vince, a science writer–the 40 minutes allotted for our conversation before taking audience questions went by fast.

3/4/2026: At MWC, SpaceX execs tout Starlink V2 – and a key carrier partner for it, Light Reading

My telecom trade-pub client asked me to cover SpaceX’s portion of this keynote Monday. The rest of my schedule that day, combined with jet lag leaving me in a sleep-deprived haze, meant I had to finish writing it Tuesday, but that extra time also allowed me to get a quick demo of Starlink’s wireless emergency alert system from a few SpaceX executives at the company’s MWC exhibit.

3/4/2026: AST SpaceMobile Has Big Cellular Satellite Plans for 2026. Can It Deliver?, PCMag

My last appointment on the show floor Tuesday was with AST president and chief strategy officer Scott Wisniewski, who talked about that satellite startup’s plans to bring a direct-to-cell service to market this year for carriers including AT&T and Verizon. For that to happen, both AST and its launch providers will need to step up their pace dramatically.

Weekly output: Android updates, disposable tech, Starlink Mobile, AST SpaceMobile

I got back from MWC Barcelona Thursday, and this coming Friday I’m off to Austin for SXSW. I’m returning to that talkfest after a year off because for the first time since 2019, I’ll be contributing to the banter on the program–I’m moderating a panel about, of all things, video-game culture.

3/3/2026: Android Gets Location-Tracking Features That iOS Users Have Had for Ages, PCMag

This was the only post I had a client publish this week that I easily could have written from home. Instead, I filed it from the press room at MWC Barcelona–and then a late clarification from a Google publicist required me to send a revised paragraph to my editor in a Slack message I sent from the Barcelona metro.

3/4/2026: Slow Tech Uprising, Back Market

I moderated this panel about disposable tech at an event hosted by Back Market that also featured a screening of Dandora: A Fast Tech Story, a short film produced by that refurbished-gadgets marketplace. With four other people on stage–Joy Howard, Back Market’s chief marketing officer; Alexander Kuscher, a senior director for ChromeOS at Google; Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies; and Gaia Vince, a science writer–the 40 minutes allotted for our conversation before taking audience questions went by fast.

3/4/2026: At MWC, SpaceX execs tout Starlink V2 – and a key carrier partner for it, Light Reading

My telecom trade-pub client asked me to cover SpaceX’s portion of this keynote Monday. The rest of my schedule that day, combined with jet lag leaving me in a sleep-deprived haze, meant I had to finish writing it Tuesday, but that extra time also allowed me to get a quick demo of Starlink’s wireless emergency alert system from a few SpaceX executives at the company’s MWC exhibit.

3/4/2026: AST SpaceMobile Has Big Cellular Satellite Plans for 2026. Can It Deliver?, PCMag

My last appointment on the show floor Tuesday was with AST president and chief strategy officer Scott Wisniewski, who talked about that satellite startup’s plans to bring a direct-to-cell service to market this year for carriers including AT&T and Verizon. For that to happen, both AST and its launch providers will need to step up their pace dramatically.

Weekly output: Android updates, disposable tech, Starlink Mobile, AST SpaceMobile

I got back from MWC Barcelona Thursday, and this coming Friday I’m off to Austin for SXSW. I’m returning to that talkfest after a year off because for the first time since 2019, I’ll be contributing to the banter on the program–I’m moderating a panel about, of all things, video-game culture.

3/3/2026: Android Gets Location-Tracking Features That iOS Users Have Had for Ages, PCMag

This was the only post I had a client publish this week that I easily could have written from home. Instead, I filed it from the press room at MWC Barcelona–and then a late clarification from a Google publicist required me to send a revised paragraph to my editor in a Slack message I sent from the Barcelona metro.

3/4/2026: Slow Tech Uprising, Back Market

I moderated this panel about disposable tech at an event hosted by Back Market that also featured a screening of Dandora: A Fast Tech Story, a short film produced by that refurbished-gadgets marketplace. With four other people on stage–Joy Howard, Back Market’s chief marketing officer; Alexander Kuscher, a senior director for ChromeOS at Google; Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies; and Gaia Vince, a science writer–the 40 minutes allotted for our conversation before taking audience questions went by fast.

3/4/2026: At MWC, SpaceX execs tout Starlink V2 – and a key carrier partner for it, Light Reading

My telecom trade-pub client asked me to cover SpaceX’s portion of this keynote Monday. The rest of my schedule that day, combined with jet lag leaving me in a sleep-deprived haze, meant I had to finish writing it Tuesday, but that extra time also allowed me to get a quick demo of Starlink’s wireless emergency alert system from a few SpaceX executives at the company’s MWC exhibit.

3/4/2026: AST SpaceMobile Has Big Cellular Satellite Plans for 2026. Can It Deliver?, PCMag

My last appointment on the show floor Tuesday was with AST president and chief strategy officer Scott Wisniewski, who talked about that satellite startup’s plans to bring a direct-to-cell service to market this year for carriers including AT&T and Verizon. For that to happen, both AST and its launch providers will need to step up their pace dramatically.

Weekly output: Android updates, disposable tech, Starlink Mobile, AST SpaceMobile

I got back from MWC Barcelona Thursday, and this coming Friday I’m off to Austin for SXSW. I’m returning to that talkfest after a year off because for the first time since 2019, I’ll be contributing to the banter on the program–I’m moderating a panel about, of all things, video-game culture.

3/3/2026: Android Gets Location-Tracking Features That iOS Users Have Had for Ages, PCMag

This was the only post I had a client publish this week that I easily could have written from home. Instead, I filed it from the press room at MWC Barcelona–and then a late clarification from a Google publicist required me to send a revised paragraph to my editor in a Slack message I sent from the Barcelona metro.

3/4/2026: Slow Tech Uprising, Back Market

I moderated this panel about disposable tech at an event hosted by Back Market that also featured a screening of Dandora: A Fast Tech Story, a short film produced by that refurbished-gadgets marketplace. With four other people on stage–Joy Howard, Back Market’s chief marketing officer; Alexander Kuscher, a senior director for ChromeOS at Google; Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at Creative Strategies; and Gaia Vince, a science writer–the 40 minutes allotted for our conversation before taking audience questions went by fast.

3/4/2026: At MWC, SpaceX execs tout Starlink V2 – and a key carrier partner for it, Light Reading

My telecom trade-pub client asked me to cover SpaceX’s portion of this keynote Monday. The rest of my schedule that day, combined with jet lag leaving me in a sleep-deprived haze, meant I had to finish writing it Tuesday, but that extra time also allowed me to get a quick demo of Starlink’s wireless emergency alert system from a few SpaceX executives at the company’s MWC exhibit.

3/4/2026: AST SpaceMobile Has Big Cellular Satellite Plans for 2026. Can It Deliver?, PCMag

My last appointment on the show floor Tuesday was with AST president and chief strategy officer Scott Wisniewski, who talked about that satellite startup’s plans to bring a direct-to-cell service to market this year for carriers including AT&T and Verizon. For that to happen, both AST and its launch providers will need to step up their pace dramatically.

Tecno Camon 50 series debuts at MWC 2026: Midrange phone with 50MP cameras, 144Hz AMOLED screen, 6500mAh battery #android #android15 #featured #mobile #mwc #mwc2025 #mwcbarcelona #mwcbarcelona2026 #news #smartphone #smartphones #tech #tecno #tecnocamon50 #tecnocamon50pro #tecnocamon50ultra #tecnomalaysia

https://soyacincau.com/2026/03/04/tecno-camon-50-pro-ultra-5g-4g-mwc-2026-malaysia-specs-features/

Tecno Camon 50 series debuts at MWC 2026: Midrange phone with 50MP cameras, 144Hz AMOLED screen, 6500mAh battery #android #android15 #featured #mobile #mwc #mwc2025 #mwcbarcelona #mwcbarcelona2026 #news #smartphone #smartphones #tech #tecno #tecnocamon50 #tecnocamon50pro #tecnocamon50ultra #tecnomalaysia

https://soyacincau.com/2026/03/04/tecno-camon-50-pro-ultra-5g-4g-mwc-2026-malaysia-specs-features/

Tecno Camon 50 series debuts at MWC 2026: Midrange phone with 50MP cameras, 144Hz AMOLED screen, 6500mAh battery #android #android15 #featured #mobile #mwc #mwc2025 #mwcbarcelona #mwcbarcelona2026 #news #smartphone #smartphones #tech #tecno #tecnocamon50 #tecnocamon50pro #tecnocamon50ultra #tecnomalaysia

https://soyacincau.com/2026/03/04/tecno-camon-50-pro-ultra-5g-4g-mwc-2026-malaysia-specs-features/

Tecno Camon 50 series debuts at MWC 2026: Midrange phone with 50MP cameras, 144Hz AMOLED screen, 6500mAh battery #android #android15 #featured #mobile #mwc #mwc2025 #mwcbarcelona #mwcbarcelona2026 #news #smartphone #smartphones #tech #tecno #tecnocamon50 #tecnocamon50pro #tecnocamon50ultra #tecnomalaysia

https://soyacincau.com/2026/03/04/tecno-camon-50-pro-ultra-5g-4g-mwc-2026-malaysia-specs-features/

ITI confere os avanços da computação pós-quântica no Mobile World Congress Barcelona

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://capitaldigital.com.br/iti-confere-os-avancos-da-computacao-pos-quantica-no-mobile-world-congress-barcelona/

Honor Magic V6 debuts at MWC 2026 with largest battery in a foldable yet #android #android16 #featured #foldable #foldablephone #foldables #foldablesmartphone #honor #honormagicv6 #mobile #mwc #mwc2026 #mwcbarcelona #mwcbarcelona2026 #news #smartphone #smartphones #tech

https://soyacincau.com/2026/03/03/honor-magic-v6-specs-features-malaysia-mwc-2026/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/797933/ MWC 2026: Chinese smartphone makers bet on pivot to AI to weather memory chip crunch #AI #Android #Apple #Barcelona #China #DreamSmartGroup #GalaxyS #Huawei #IDC #MagicV #meizu #Mobile #MWCBarcelona #Samsung #Technology #UK #UnitedKingdom #vivo #WanZhiqiang

https://www.europesays.com/ie/362399/ MWC 2026: Chinese smartphone makers bet on pivot to AI to weather memory chip crunch #AI #Android #Apple #ArtificialIntelligence #ArtificialIntelligence #barcelona #China #DreamSmartGroup #Éire #GalaxyS #Huawei #IDC #IE #Ireland #MagicV #Meizu #MWCBarcelona #Samsung #Technology #Vivo #WanZhiqiang

Reminder to my fellow travelers: Don’t forget your EU 261 rights

MWC Barcelona 2025 is finally in the books for me–not because I had one last piece published from my visit to the wireless industry’s global gathering in early March, but because I received the last payment I can reasonably expect from that trip to Spain.

This one didn’t come from a client but from an airline: Lufthansa paid me $262.71 to compensate for the last in a series of flight delays that caused a trip from London to Barcelona by air to take longer than trains would have required on that day.

(To recap that travel saga as briefly as possible: Swiss canceled a flight from London City Airport to Zurich and then canceled a replacement flight from Heathrow to Zurich, then my rebooked flight on Lufthansa from LHR to Frankfurt left so late that I missed my connection in FRA, which led LH to rebook me to connect again in Munich. I finally landed at Barcelona a little before 11 p.m., about eight hours later than originally planned. Anybody still wondering why I don’t check bags?)

As it does for many other situations, the European Union has a regulation for that scenario: EC no. 261/2004, “EC 261” or “EU 261” for short. The text of this rule runs almost 4,500 words, a typical level of EU verbosity, but it boils down to “airlines have to pay you money if they delay your arrival for enough hours for reasons that they could have controlled.”

I’m not a stranger to EU 261, having written a how-to about services that offer help with this regulation for The Points Guy travel site back in 2017. I knew that travel within the EU by an EU carrier would be covered (while U.S. airlines don’t have to pay EU 261 compensation for delays to Europe, only on flights from Europe). But cognitive-load limits are a thing, and so I kept on putting off the task of putting in for an EU 261 claim.

Getting dinged for a few nuisance fees a few weeks ago finally motivated me to fill out Lufthansa’s compensation form, selecting “Missed connecting flight” from its menu of mishaps. I filed with them, not Swiss, because the hours-late departure from LHR seemed the least explicable delay and had wiped out more of my MWC schedule on that Saturday than the other cancels and delays.

The German airline’s response was immensely more prompt than its operations had been for me months earlier. Less than 16 hours later, what I had to see as a first class level of responsiveness, I received a reply that got to the pleasant point: “There is good news: You will receive money back from us.” 

That e-mail requested bank-account details for a U.S. dollar transfer; I provided them via Lufthansa’s feedback form, citing my case number as advised, Four and a half days later, I received a confirmation that the transfer was in progress, and two days after that the money was in my bank account.

I have read about many less pleasant EU 261 experiences–that Points Guy post focused on that possibility–but in this case, for whatever reason, the regulation and the airline each worked as they should have. It’s not every day, week or month that I can write something like that.

#AirPassengersRightsRegulation #Barcelona #BCN #canceledFlight #compensation #EC261 #EU261 #flightDelay #FRA #irrops #LH #LHR #London #Lufthansa #MUC #MWC #MWCBarcelona #Swiss #tripDelay #ZRH

Reminder to my fellow travelers: Don’t forget your EU 261 rights

MWC Barcelona 2025 is finally in the books for me–not because I had one last piece published from my visit to the wireless industry’s global gathering in early March, but because I received the last payment I can reasonably expect from that trip to Spain.

This one didn’t come from a client but from an airline: Lufthansa paid me $262.71 to compensate for the last in a series of flight delays that caused a trip from London to Barcelona by air to take longer than trains would have required on that day.

(To recap that travel saga as briefly as possible: Swiss canceled a flight from London City Airport to Zurich and then canceled a replacement flight from Heathrow to Zurich, then my rebooked flight on Lufthansa from LHR to Frankfurt left so late that I missed my connection in FRA, which led LH to rebook me to connect again in Munich. I finally landed at Barcelona a little before 11 p.m., about eight hours later than originally planned. Anybody still wondering why I don’t check bags?)

As it does for many other situations, the European Union has a regulation for that scenario: EC no. 261/2004, “EC 261” or “EU 261” for short. The text of this rule runs almost 4,500 words, a typical level of EU verbosity, but it boils down to “airlines have to pay you money if they delay your arrival for enough hours for reasons that they could have controlled.”

I’m not a stranger to EU 261, having written a how-to about services that offer help with this regulation for The Points Guy travel site back in 2017. I knew that travel within the EU by an EU carrier would be covered (while U.S. airlines don’t have to pay EU 261 compensation for delays to Europe, only on flights from Europe). But cognitive-load limits are a thing, and so I kept on putting off the task of putting in for an EU 261 claim.

Getting dinged for a few nuisance fees a few weeks ago finally motivated me to fill out Lufthansa’s compensation form, selecting “Missed connecting flight” from its menu of mishaps. I filed with them, not Swiss, because the hours-late departure from LHR seemed the least explicable delay and had wiped out more of my MWC schedule on that Saturday than the other cancels and delays.

The German airline’s response was immensely more prompt than its operations had been for me months earlier. Less than 16 hours later, what I had to see as a first class level of responsiveness, I received a reply that got to the pleasant point: “There is good news: You will receive money back from us.” 

That e-mail requested bank-account details for a U.S. dollar transfer; I provided them via Lufthansa’s feedback form, citing my case number as advised, Four and a half days later, I received a confirmation that the transfer was in progress, and two days after that the money was in my bank account.

I have read about many less pleasant EU 261 experiences–that Points Guy post focused on that possibility–but in this case, for whatever reason, the regulation and the airline each worked as they should have. It’s not every day, week or month that I can write something like that.

#AirPassengersRightsRegulation #Barcelona #BCN #canceledFlight #compensation #EC261 #EU261 #flightDelay #FRA #irrops #LH #LHR #London #Lufthansa #MUC #MWC #MWCBarcelona #Swiss #tripDelay #ZRH

Reminder to my fellow travelers: Don’t forget your EU 261 rights

MWC Barcelona 2025 is finally in the books for me–not because I had one last piece published from my visit to the wireless industry’s global gathering in early March, but because I received the last payment I can reasonably expect from that trip to Spain.

This one didn’t come from a client but from an airline: Lufthansa paid me $262.71 to compensate for the last in a series of flight delays that caused a trip from London to Barcelona by air to take longer than trains would have required on that day.

(To recap that travel saga as briefly as possible: Swiss canceled a flight from London City Airport to Zurich and then canceled a replacement flight from Heathrow to Zurich, then my rebooked flight on Lufthansa from LHR to Frankfurt left so late that I missed my connection in FRA, which led LH to rebook me to connect again in Munich. I finally landed at Barcelona a little before 11 p.m., about eight hours later than originally planned. Anybody still wondering why I don’t check bags?)

As it does for many other situations, the European Union has a regulation for that scenario: EC no. 261/2004, “EC 261” or “EU 261” for short. The text of this rule runs almost 4,500 words, a typical level of EU verbosity, but it boils down to “airlines have to pay you money if they delay your arrival for enough hours for reasons that they could have controlled.”

I’m not a stranger to EU 261, having written a how-to about services that offer help with this regulation for The Points Guy travel site back in 2017. I knew that travel within the EU by an EU carrier would be covered (while U.S. airlines don’t have to pay EU 261 compensation for delays to Europe, only on flights from Europe). But cognitive-load limits are a thing, and so I kept on putting off the task of putting in for an EU 261 claim.

Getting dinged for a few nuisance fees a few weeks ago finally motivated me to fill out Lufthansa’s compensation form, selecting “Missed connecting flight” from its menu of mishaps. I filed with them, not Swiss, because the hours-late departure from LHR seemed the least explicable delay and had wiped out more of my MWC schedule on that Saturday than the other cancels and delays.

The German airline’s response was immensely more prompt than its operations had been for me months earlier. Less than 16 hours later, what I had to see as a first class level of responsiveness, I received a reply that got to the pleasant point: “There is good news: You will receive money back from us.” 

That e-mail requested bank-account details for a U.S. dollar transfer; I provided them via Lufthansa’s feedback form, citing my case number as advised, Four and a half days later, I received a confirmation that the transfer was in progress, and two days after that the money was in my bank account.

I have read about many less pleasant EU 261 experiences–that Points Guy post focused on that possibility–but in this case, for whatever reason, the regulation and the airline each worked as they should have. It’s not every day, week or month that I can write something like that.

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