The experience of a flight should be a pleasant one whether you fly for a business reason or simply for a vacation, especially now when the airline industry has grown so much. And yet, it is such a wonder that there are still people sleeping in the airports because their flight is cancelled, without even knowing their passenger’s rights.
By answering the most common questions, this article is here to inform you what you can do in the event of a cancelled or delayed flight situation. Know there are solutions and steps you can take so you actually turn the table in your favor.
Below you will find some tips so that, if you are entitled to compensation, you can recover it faster and easier, and the impact on the trip will be minimal.
My flight is cancelled. What should I do?
Keep yourself informed. Know you have rights and what are the best ways to follow will actually help you avoid any panic in the case your flight is cancelled. However, most often you find out about the cancellation or delay at the last minute at the airport and you can no longer be as calm as at home. In such moments, keeping your calm despite the inconvenience will help you think and act more logically to find the best solutions in your particular case. So treat the situation calmly and decide the next move.
If your flight has been cancelled, you can follow any of these steps:
- Alternative. See what the alternative offer of the airline is, it can often be quite good. For example, for flights cancelled during construction work in Memmingen, Wizz Air transferred all flights to Friedrichshafen, a good option for many passengers travelling to southern Germany.
At this step there are 2 options:
–re-routing to the same destination at the earliest opportunity,
–later re-routing, at your convenience under comparable conditions (subject to seat availability)
If the alternative suits you, you just have to accept.
- Refund. If the replacement flight does not suit you, you can request a refund of the ticket payment. For any cancellation, regardless of the reason for the cancellation, the refund must be made according to the conditions. You cannot benefit from a refund if you opt for the alternative, but you can claim compensation.
- Compensation. In case of flight cancellation (and even in case of delay) you are also entitled to compensation but be careful that some airlines may ask you to check that you lose the right to compensation if you accept the refund.
Can I get compensation for a cancelled flight?
Yes. Your compensation is calculated from 250 to 600 euro/passenger if your flight was cancelled due to the airline’s technical fault, whether Community carriers that depart from the EU (traditional, such as British Airways, LOT, Austrian Airlines, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, TAP, KLM, Tarom or low costs, such as Wizz Air, Ryanair or Blue Air) or outside the European Union (such as Qatar Airways, Aeroflot, Air Canada, Air Serbia, EL AL, Turkish Airlines), according to EU Regulation 261/2004, in the protection of the air passenger rights, the carrier is obliged to pay compensation for cancelled flights and you are eligible to claim the full cost of the unused ticket within 7 days, regardless of flight and destination.
How much is the compensation for a cancelled flight?
The Regulation 261/2004 (with global effects, applying to all passengers, regardless of age, sex, or ticket price), gives you the right to be eligible for compensation for any situation when your flight was cancelled less than 14 days from your departure date, but also if your flight was delayed, if you are subject to denied boarding or if your flight arrives at your destination at least 3 hours later than the announced time.
The amount you can receive as compensation if your flight was delayed or cancelled depends on the distance:
- 250 euro for flights over 1500 km
- 400 euro for flights between 1500-3500 km
- 300 euro for flights over 3500 km (delayed between 3 and 4 hours)
- 600 euro for flights over 3500 km (with a minimum delay of 4 hours)
What other rights do I have if the airline cancelled my flight?
Under the compensation for cancelled flights EU Regulation law are also included other air passengers rights. Therefore, the airline must inform you about the cancelled flights at least 2 weeks before your departure date and offer you an alternative. Sometimes, the misfortune may be even greater, and the first alternative flight offered by the carrier will leave only the next day. In this case, you have the right to hotel accommodation and transfers from/to the airport.
You should know that you are entitled to reimbursement of accommodation, transport and meals even if the flight cancellation is caused by reasons independent of the airline (snow, strikes, etc.) and regardless of the length of your stay. If the carrier rescheduled you for a flight in 3 days, you are entitled to 3 nights of accommodation, even if you hear something else from the airline! At the same time, you are entitled to these services whether it is a Community carrier or one outside the European Union.
How to claim compensation for cancelled flight or delays
First, know that cancellations and flight delays caused by extraordinary circumstances cannot be compensated according to the legislation on air passengers’ rights. But if the cancellation or the delay is because of a commercial reason, when there are not enough tickets sold or because of a technical problem, then you qualify for compensation.
Be aware that if you submit the claim on your own, there is a great risk of not getting your money back because many airlines invoke force majeure circumstances (like bad weather for example) just to avoid paying flight delay compensations.
Here is where AirAdvisor can help you and make sure the airline complies with EU Regulation and acts according to your rights as air passengers. You may be entitled to $600 in compensation if you experienced any delay, cancelled or overbooked flight within the last 3 years.
In less than 3 minutes, you can submit a claim absolutely free of charge and check if you are eligible for compensation with 100% risk-free. Using our compensation calculator is a very easy way to find out if you are entitled to compensation.
All you need to do is provide your flight details, the departure airport, the final destination and if you had connecting flights, and we can do an instant check to find out if you are eligible for compensation, at no cost to you.
As one of the best companies for collecting compensation for cancelled flight or delays, AirAdvisor operates based on reliable data from trusted sources.
Our team of experts and lawyers will check in-depth your information and flight details, will contact the airlines, will work with the authorities and will fight for your rights.
