Each passenger may experience such an unpleasant situation as a flight delay. Sparks Life invites you to familiarize yourself with the rights of airline customers in order to understand what to rely on in such a case:
- All clients of classic, charter or low-cost flights have the same rights in the event that the flight is delayed. These rules are governed by primary consumer protection laws and industry-specific laws. For example, in European countries it is the EU Charter No. 261/2004. In addition, if you fly international flights, then you are protected by the Montreal Convention.
- The air carrier is obliged to provide you with information for what reason and for how long the shipment is delayed. For more information, you should contact the authorized representative of the air carrier.
- If the departure of the flight was delayed by an airline from the Russian Federation and you wish to file a complaint, do not forget to stamp the delay on your boarding pass or itinerary receipt. This is done at the information desk or at the carrier’s employee. In European countries, this seal is only required if you were not taken on board due to overbooking. When you reschedule your flight, you will receive a financial refund even without a stamp.
- In European countries, if you are late at your destination by more than three hours due to a delayed flight, the carrier company will indemnify you for damage in the amount of 250 to 600 EUR.
To receive the amount, you need to fill out a special form on the airline’s website.
The reimbursable finance includes penalties for late passenger delivery and a three percent penalty for delay.
Flight delay
- If you were on an international flight, compensation may be paid in accordance with the Montreal or Warsaw Conventions or EU statutes. The latter applies to flights within the EU countries (as well as departing and arriving there), provided that they are operated by airlines from Europe.
- Indemnification payments are made when the air carrier is responsible for the delay. It can be a malfunction of air transport or a delay in the plane. In the event that the delay occurs due to weather conditions, compensation is not required.
- In the United States of America, if a passenger did not get on board due to overbooking, but nevertheless was transferred to another flight, he is required to receive $ 1,350. This rule applies only when the passenger arrives at the destination with a delay of more than 60 minutes.
- If the flight is delayed for more than two hours, you must be provided with coffee, tea, water, more than four – hot food. Further, after every six hours of inactivity, passengers are offered hot food (at night every eight).
- Children under the age of seven and accompanying adults must have access to the mother and child room. There, the child can eat, sleep, play in a relaxed atmosphere, without the hustle and bustle.
- When the flight is delayed by more than 8 hours in the daytime (more than 6 hours at night), the passenger must be accommodated at the hotel.
Delivery by transfer to the hotel must be arranged by the carrier. In European countries, settlement occurs when the flight is postponed to the next day.
- If there is a delay in the flight, the passenger may well refuse the flight and receive the full amount for the ticket, even if it was purchased under a non-refundable offer. In the EU, it is possible to return finances with a delay of more than 5 hours.
- Having decided to cancel the flight and return the entire amount, the passenger is required to inform the air carrier about this. If this is not done, the airline will consider that you simply did not show up for the flight and will not return your finances.
- If the passenger is offered to fly on a flight of another company, they are not entitled to charge any additional funds. All costs are borne by the carrier, through whose fault the flight did not take off or was delayed.
- When a passenger flies with a transfer and, due to a delay in the first flight, does not get on the next one, they must be transferred to another connecting flight without compensation.
In case there were 2 tickets (even of the same carrier), you will have to solve this problem yourself.
To save yourself the hassle of waiting for a delayed flight, we recommend booking a private jet for your convenience and time savings
Daniela Kish
Manager A-Sparks
Publication date:
November 17, 2021
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