Air Passenger Rights
Have you ever been delayed at an airport or your flight got cancelled? If so, this could be of interest!
Usually, when a flight is delayed, most passengers just wait until the plane is ready for boarding. When flights are cancelled, most people try and find the next best flight that suits them. But passengers have rights, even on short delays, which they are not always informed of.
By law, if a passenger asks for the following, airlines have to provide.
- Light Refreshment Vouchers: These should be handed out by airport staff but have to be asked for most of the time. If your flight is delayed and you don't receive vouchers, make sure you keep all the receipts! The same goes for longer stays due to cancellation. Airlines need itemised receipts (no card holder copies for card purchases) and alcohol is not refunded.
- Hotel Accommodation: If you're delayed overnight, or are left stranded somewhere because your flight got cancelled, the airline has to reimburse you for hotel costs incurred. Ask for a detailed receipt that lists all expenses. Some airlines do not reimburse you for pre-paid hotels which you couldn't use because of a cancellation. If you're delayed or your flight is postponed, do not rely solely on the airline to find accommodation. You can go and find your own.
- Phone Calls: Next to the meal vouchers, you should get about € 3.00 per day to call home. Try and use landlines and local numbers. But if you run up bills while being on hold to the airline's customer service, send them a copy of the itemised bill - they have to reimburse you for any calls to the customer service centre, if they cancelled your flight and the calls were a direct result of this.
- Transfers: If you have to stay at a hotel due to a flight delay or cancellation, airport transfer should be reimbursed. Keep hold of all receipts and remember to ask for a receipt if you use a taxi!
One hour of delay is deemed an acceptable time. But if you are delayed more than three or even five hours, you can ask to change your flight to the next available one if travel arrangements don't suit you anymore. If you choose not to travel that day, you can get a credit voucher over the sum of your affected flight. Accepting another flight from your airline should be free of charge. But if you can find an alternative flight (same route) before the one you have been given by your own airline, you can get the costs, or at least the price difference, refunded by your airline. To claim back your alternative costs, provide a booking reference and your boarding passes for easy processing.
The same goes for other alternative travel arrangements such as train. Keep the receipts and you should get at least the difference in price back from your airline. Here as well, you'd have to travel the same route (same origin, same destination, or be in the vicinity of the destination airport when you leave the alternative transport). Transfers to train stations, as well as transfers to pick up your car where you left it will not be refunded.
Always make sure you ask staff about the official reason for the delay. Make a note of it. Then ask the Aviation Authority to confirm the reason for cancellation - these incidents have to be logged. If necessary, double check with the airport concerned or (ie if bad weather is given as reason) the Meteorological Institute.
If the reason is an "extraordinary circumstance", it is deemed outside the airline's control. Reasons can be weather (ie thunderstorms, snow), nature (ie volcano), strike action.
However, there are also "non-extraordinary circumstances" in which the airline is at fault. These are mechanical and technical problems, or crew sickness (especially the captain) when nobody is on standby. If it is confirmed that your delay or cancellation was due to such a circumstance, you are entitled to EU compensation. If the distance between your two airports is less than 1500km, you get €250 per person, per affected flight. Over 1500km, you're in for €400 per person, and flights over 3500km come in at €600 each. It is the law, that you get this compensation if it's the airline's fault you couldn't fly. It's best to check the reason first, but you can always ask for it by mentioning the EU compensation you are entitled to when you contact the airline for a refund. The going policy is: If you are entitled and you don't ask for it, you don't get it.
Usually, when a flight is delayed, most passengers just wait until the plane is ready for boarding. When flights are cancelled, most people try and find the next best flight that suits them. But passengers have rights, even on short delays, which they are not always informed of.
By law, if a passenger asks for the following, airlines have to provide.
- Light Refreshment Vouchers: These should be handed out by airport staff but have to be asked for most of the time. If your flight is delayed and you don't receive vouchers, make sure you keep all the receipts! The same goes for longer stays due to cancellation. Airlines need itemised receipts (no card holder copies for card purchases) and alcohol is not refunded.
- Hotel Accommodation: If you're delayed overnight, or are left stranded somewhere because your flight got cancelled, the airline has to reimburse you for hotel costs incurred. Ask for a detailed receipt that lists all expenses. Some airlines do not reimburse you for pre-paid hotels which you couldn't use because of a cancellation. If you're delayed or your flight is postponed, do not rely solely on the airline to find accommodation. You can go and find your own.
- Phone Calls: Next to the meal vouchers, you should get about € 3.00 per day to call home. Try and use landlines and local numbers. But if you run up bills while being on hold to the airline's customer service, send them a copy of the itemised bill - they have to reimburse you for any calls to the customer service centre, if they cancelled your flight and the calls were a direct result of this.
- Transfers: If you have to stay at a hotel due to a flight delay or cancellation, airport transfer should be reimbursed. Keep hold of all receipts and remember to ask for a receipt if you use a taxi!
One hour of delay is deemed an acceptable time. But if you are delayed more than three or even five hours, you can ask to change your flight to the next available one if travel arrangements don't suit you anymore. If you choose not to travel that day, you can get a credit voucher over the sum of your affected flight. Accepting another flight from your airline should be free of charge. But if you can find an alternative flight (same route) before the one you have been given by your own airline, you can get the costs, or at least the price difference, refunded by your airline. To claim back your alternative costs, provide a booking reference and your boarding passes for easy processing.
The same goes for other alternative travel arrangements such as train. Keep the receipts and you should get at least the difference in price back from your airline. Here as well, you'd have to travel the same route (same origin, same destination, or be in the vicinity of the destination airport when you leave the alternative transport). Transfers to train stations, as well as transfers to pick up your car where you left it will not be refunded.
Always make sure you ask staff about the official reason for the delay. Make a note of it. Then ask the Aviation Authority to confirm the reason for cancellation - these incidents have to be logged. If necessary, double check with the airport concerned or (ie if bad weather is given as reason) the Meteorological Institute.
If the reason is an "extraordinary circumstance", it is deemed outside the airline's control. Reasons can be weather (ie thunderstorms, snow), nature (ie volcano), strike action.
However, there are also "non-extraordinary circumstances" in which the airline is at fault. These are mechanical and technical problems, or crew sickness (especially the captain) when nobody is on standby. If it is confirmed that your delay or cancellation was due to such a circumstance, you are entitled to EU compensation. If the distance between your two airports is less than 1500km, you get €250 per person, per affected flight. Over 1500km, you're in for €400 per person, and flights over 3500km come in at €600 each. It is the law, that you get this compensation if it's the airline's fault you couldn't fly. It's best to check the reason first, but you can always ask for it by mentioning the EU compensation you are entitled to when you contact the airline for a refund. The going policy is: If you are entitled and you don't ask for it, you don't get it.
So if you have been delayed or your trip got cancelled during the summer holidays, or you have friends who will fly soon, show them this site! Some airlines will not inform you of any rights in case of a cancellation. But you will need to know what to ask for, and what receipts are necessary in order to get your extra expenses refunded.
Happy travels!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 Kommentare:
Post a Comment