Modern-day air travel is nothing but convenience – the sprawling network of air ‘routes’ lets the whole world be connected and accessible. You book the tickets, board the plane, and reach the destination in a few hours. Yet, every once in a while, when the flight is canceled or rescheduled, a well-planned air trip can turn into frustration causing a ripple effect and financial losses.
While moral compensation is rather impossible, financial reimbursement is a common practice. How can you return money if the delay is the airline’s fault? Let’s learn the major points and considerations.
- The Airlines
When booking the tickets, double-check the reliability of the airline and compensation policies on their websites. While all the airlines are obliged to follow the EU laws, regarding compensations, 261/2004 in particular, quite a few of them can turn the process into a nightmare.
For instance, if you are opting for Brussels Airlines (one of the biggest EU carriers), scan the online reviews to understand what to expect from them and get to know the Brussels Airlines compensation rules. When you know the steps to perform, there will be no place for panicking at the airport, and even more chances to save the trip from failure.
Every time you book the tickets with an airline, make sure you learn their rules.
- Compensation Eligibility
All the EU functioning carriers are obliged to follow the EU 261 law, introduced in 2005, which states that the airline is responsible for passengers in case of flight overbooking, cancellation, or delay.
The flight eligibility falls under a few categories:
- The flights are operated by EU or non-EU airlines, yet within the EU space;
- The flights that arrive at EU space from outside of the EU, and are operated by an EU airline;
- Flight that depart from the EU to a non-UE country, and are operated by an EU or non-EU airline.
The ‘timing’ eligibility:
- The flight cancelation can’t be ‘older’ than 6 years.
- The delayed landing must be at least 3 hours.
Apart from that, the airlines have no responsibility for the delays caused by the events they are unable to control (severe weather conditions, terrorist acts, air traffic control strikes, civil unrest, security risks on the ground, bird strikes, etc).
- Passenger Eligibility
Every person who uses the services of the airline in question (considering above mentioned categories) has the right to claim the flight delay compensation. According to the experts from TravelWise, the compensation is calculated per each person separately, regardless of the ticket price (either reduced or full price).
- Compensation Size
It is important to understand that the size of the compensation will not depend on the price you paid for the tickets. There is a standardized scheme to follow to avoid speculations.
The compensation is based on the length of the delay, and the distance of the journey. On average, passengers can get €250 and €600 refund:
- 3 Hours Up to 1500 km €250
- 3 Hours+ 1500km to 3500km €400
- 3-4 Hours Over 3500 km €300
- 4 Hours+ Over 3500 km €600
The passengers can be offered vouchers for the next trip, or have their money back onto account. Yet again, it is important to check with the airline rules.
- How to claim the compensation?
There is no standard procedure to follow regarding the compensation. Every other passenger requires an individual approach. The most common ways to address the compensation issue are:
- Contacting the airline’s workers right at the airport.
- Contacting customer support (can be overloaded with calls).
- Sending a request, and filling the documents online.
- Hiring the advisors.
It is important to understand that the flight compensation is a matter of weeks and months, depending on the airline. Unfortunately, some airlines are trying to avoid the obligations to passengers, which can even lead to a lawsuit.
Flight delays are causing more and more issues nowadays, leading to ruined holiday and business plans. The best way to be protected is to opt for a reliable airline and be well-versed with its rules. Although the moral compensation is never counted, the airlines should at least make up for financial losses.