Flight delays or cancellations are really frustrating and they can destroy a very well planned trip. Luckily, any passenger that faces such a situation can be eligible for a flight delay compensation from the airline, if certain factors are met.
What are the EU laws that cover passengers in case of delays and cancellations?
European Union has set several laws to protect passengers from unfortunate events that may disrupt their travels, as stated in the EU Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. This regulation concerns flights from, to or within the European Union, as well as Switzerland, Norway and Iceland carried by either EU or non-EU airlines. It also includes flights (of both EU and non-EU airlines) departing from any of the aforementioned countries that arrive at non-EU destinations. Finally, the laws apply on EU airlines arriving at an EU destination from a non-EU country.
Even if we are talking about EU flights, this doesn’t mean that you need to be a European citizen in order to have access to any form of possible refund. There is no such discrimination as being an EU citizen or not, as EU laws cover everyone, provided that the reasons for compensation are satisfied. So, no matter your citizenship, keep reading to learn about your rights and what is the easiest way to get your refund.
Most passengers don’t get compensation because they don’t ask for one! Even frequent passengers are not aware of their rights when it comes to flight disruptions. In many European airports you can find announcements regarding the laws that apply in such circumstances. Unfortunately, most people do not really pay much attention, as they rush through controls, trying to locate their gate, spending some time at the duty free shops and believing that significant delays are not going to happen to them. Of course, airlines fail to promote those refund possibilities, because if you calculate how much money they would need to cover maybe more than 200 passengers per flight, you realize that their profit margins decrease significantly. Each passenger needs to be aware of the conditions under which they can claim a refund and then proceed accordingly.
There are several reasons why a flight can be delayed, but there are certain circumstances under which a passenger can get reimbursement. You are not eligible for a refund if the delay/cancellation was caused from factors external to the airline itself, like poor weather conditions that make flying dangerous or even impossible, or airport strikes that result in extremely delayed operations (check in, luggage check etc). On the other hand, the airline can be responsible for other types of delays, like mechanical problems that need immediate fixing before flying, slow cargo loading process, waiting for connection flights and its luggage and other more unpredictable factors. One small factor is enough to make the plane miss its spot in the take-away queue, which is going to delay for sure its arrival from a few minutes to many hours. Especially low cost airlines are susceptible to delays, as their time on the ground between flights is less than an hour, so the margin for delays is extremely limited.
Under which circumstances can I get a refund?
Airlines manage to tackle small delays by displaying longer flight times compared to the real ones, as a delay is calculated based on the arrival time to the destination, no matter what the departure time was. This helps them save huge amounts which otherwise should be refunded to passengers. However, nothing saves them if the arrival time is significantly delayed. More precisely, you can get compensated for the following, if they happen due to the airline’s fault:
- Delays more than 3 hours
- Flights canceled less than 14 days before departure
- Passengers denied boarding because of overbooking
The amount of refund you can get depends on the distance of your route: Flights up to 1500 kilometers can return the passengers 250 euros, flights between 1500-3500 kilometers correspond to 400 euros refund, and finally, flight distances more than 3500 kilometers can compensate you up to 600 euros! Even if the airline refunds the price of your ticket, or gives you a free flight to your destination, you can still be eligible for this type of compensation. There are also other non-cash types of compensation that you can receive in addition to those. In case of a 3-hour delay or more, the airline is obliged to offer to the passengers coupons for free meals, drinks etc, and in case of overnight delays, it is mandatory to pay for everyone’s accommodation, even in situations out of the airline’s control. In any case, passengers are covered as much as possible.
It may seem pretty logical that you should be compensated for all the discomfort, change of plans or other significant consequences of not being at your destination on time, but airlines are not making your life easier. Even if you are aware of your rights and you know how to pursue a refund, you may fail to get it properly when contacting directly the airline. The most obvious way is to get to the information desk among with the rest of the passengers as soon as you informed about a delay or cancellation, and hope that you can get a solid answer by an airline staff member. You can imagine how hard it can be to communicate properly when there are hundreds of angry and stressed passengers, trying to find a solution. It is important to be mentioned that in order to get a response from the airline regarding a refund claim may take some time, probably more than one month.
What’s the easiest way to get my refund?
Luckily, there is an easiest way to increase your possibilities of getting a refund without all that hustle and bustle. You can stay reassured and let someone else do the job: Refundor is here to take care of your compensation claims. All you have to do is visit their website, fill your personal and flight details and upload your boarding pass. It’s just as easy as that, no endless web search for online forms, no searching for airline personnel, no stress for any detail.
After all this information you can feel a bit more relaxed for your next flight. Check your rights, bookmark Refundor’s website on your phone and off you are for your next adventure!