but thomas cook airlines never came through with the payment , and the woman took the matter to an austrian court .
a court order to impound the thomas cook airlines plane .
although she was promised $ 680 as per european union regulations that compensate passengers based on the length of their delay , the woman got frustrated dealing with thomas cook 's sluggishness getting her the cash .
however , a woman whose lawsuit against thomas cook airlines resulted in a victory in austrian court could be an empowering moment for us all .
the unidentified woman from germany had been locked in a four - year battle with thomas cook airlines flight from austria to the caribbean took off 22 hours late .
 
the unnamed woman , a german citizen , was booked on a thomas cook flight from vienna to the caribbean that got delayed a whopping 22 hours because of mechanical issues .
the woman was entitled to compensation under european union regulations , which allows qualified passengers on late or cancelled flights to claim reimbursement depending on the distance and time of delay .
she hired flightright , a claims company that fights airlines to get fees paid out ( in exchange for a portion of the money ) , which won the suit in austrian small claims court any frequent traveler knows the particular pain of a ( very ) delayed flight , and the only thing that could make it worse is an airline that takes forever to refund a fee or send out a voucher .