Top tips for every air traveller
Tip #1 – Delayed or Cancelled flights
You have to travel urgently to a meet a client,
a conference or have been saving for the holiday of your dream;
you have done everything you need to do to arrive at airport
on time then without due course, your flight is delayed or
even worse, cancelled. Before you run to your travel insurance
company and pay an excess on a full compensation you deserve,
- know your rights as an airline passenger.
What is the
airline’s obligation to you?
Under EC Regulation 261/2004, the airline should offer you
free meals and refreshments appropriate to the delay, a
full refund after five hours delay so that you can make
other arrangements for transport, and free hotel accommodation
when the delay exceeds one or more nights, as well as free
transport between your hotel and the airport.
The Flight Delay Compensation
Table
| Length
of Flight |
Delay
to Destination |
Compensation
Due |
| Up to 1500km |
Up
to 2 hours
More than 2 hours
|
125
euros
250 euros |
| 1500km to 3500km |
Up to 3 hours
More than 3 hours
|
200
euros
400 euros |
| More than 3500km |
Up
to 4 hours
More than 4 hours
|
300 euros
600 euros |
Exceptions
to this rule
The exception to this rule is if the airline can show that
the cancellation was caused by “extraordinary circumstances”
that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable
measures have been taken. If an airline can do this, they
do not have to pay you compensation. Airlines are also required
to fully inform passengers of their rights under this law.
What are “extraordinary
circumstances”?
The list includes things such political instability, poor
weather, security risks, strikes, or a technical problem
with the aircraft that was unexpected and beyond an airline’s
control.
How to challenge the airlines?
A recent decision in the case of Alitalia v Herman-Wallentin
(an Austrian couple) – which binds all courts in the
UK – says that technical problems are part and parcel
of the business of operating flights. This means that unless
the cancellation was a result of sabotage or terrorism or
it was discovered that the plane has some hidden manufacturing
defect, then the airline will be responsible for paying
compensation. Even if the airline could prove “extraordinary
circumstances”, it would still have to show that it
had pulled out every possible stop to avoid the flight being
cancelled.
Here is a good practice example
of an airline faced with similar challenges.
|
|
