Interesting programme on BBC Watchdog tonight regarding the EU airline directive which states that airlines are obliged to provide assistance to passengers when flights are cancelled or delayed.
According to the BBC Watchdog programme, this EU directive was introduced but airlines are choosing to ignore this law and are not informing passengers of their rights. So, if you book a flight with a low cost airline, and your left stranded over night, make sure you quote Regulation [EC]261/2004.
You can complain about an airline with the Air Transport Users Council who are the UK’s consumer watchdog for the aviation industry, or the European Commission for transport via their website or telephone 00 800 678 910 11 from anywhere.
The European commission produced a leaflet to be displayed at European Airports, how many of you have seen this leaflet on your travels? I haven’t. The leaflet informs travellers of their rights if they are denied boarding, long delays, cancellation, and what assistance airlines should be providing.
Ryannair ignores my claims for compensation following flight cancelation due to volcanic ash. Who can I contact to speed things up?
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Hi George,
Bear in mind thousands of people will be also trying to receive compensation, so it will take some time. But, if you are in the UK, the Air Transport Users Council (AUC), http://www.auc.org.uk is probably your next best place, or call the telephone number on the post which is the EU helpline.
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Hi
Few months ago I booked a flight from London to Hong Kong in Sept 09 with Cathay Pacific. I have paid and got an email confirmation. Last week Cathay called me and said due to low level of demand they have cancelled my inbound flight on 21st Sept 15.05. They offered me a refund or reschedule me on 23.55 or 9.35 flight.
Due to the alternative flight being so late (23.55) or early (9.35); for late flight I will not get back to London in time for work and for the early flight I cannot get to the airport. As the prices of flight has gone up, if I asked for a refund I will not be able to book with another airline without me having to pay an extra £150 per person. Therefore I have no option but take a flight 00.55 at 21st Sept – hence I will lose a day of my holiday and will have to get a taxis to airport as friend can no longer take me.
At the time of the booking, Cathay was not the cheapest but I went with them due to their 15.05 flight. If they did not have 15.05 flight I would not have gone with them.
Please advise – whether I am entitle for any compensation (for example for taxis) or get a refund that is same as the current price of booking with another airline.
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Hi, I’ll be flying with Lufthansa, Edinburgh-Frankfurt- Caracas, stopping in Frankfurt for the connection flight to Caracas. Lufthansa just change the Edinburgh-Frankfurt flight time, so I can not make the connection with the Caracas flight in time, I have to stay in Frankfurt one night. Is the airline responsible for my accommodation ? or do they have to find me another route to get to Frankfurt on time ? What’s are the regulation about this change in my flight ? Many thanks.
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Hi Darren, I had a really bad experience with Alitalia, at Rome airport our flight got cancelled for about 24 hours and i lost my luggage. now alitalia is dismissing any chances of me claiming any compensation for sufferings and lost luggage. What do u reckon I should do? Thanks
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My wife and I were delayed for thirty two hours by First Choice from Paphos to Gatwick. We were undergoing the safety check (local 5 pm) when the pilot told us we would have to disembark. After another couple of hours they took us to an Hotel and told an announcement would be made at eleven the next morning. A printed sheet was handed out at eleven detailing the fact we would be picked up at seven and they hoped to fly at ten that night. The part required was being flown out from England.
When we arrived at the airport the plane was in darkness, there was no testing going on there. At about nine a few lights came on and after a while the plane moved and started testing down the runway. So at eleven at night they were still testing – what would have happened if the test had no worked? After a near riot situation (it was the older ones telephoning the Daily Mail) they agreed to let us on the plane and we took off at 1145, to land at Gatwick at just after three in the morning. I had to get a taxi to my car as there were no buses running at that time. i arrived home at 6.30. My wife and myself missed two days work, do you thinnk we should be due compensation from First Choice?
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BA has cancelled my flight from Gatwick to Glasgow. The only other flight on the Saturday evening does not fit in with my arrival on a long haul. We will have to book an overnight in an hotel now and fly home on a Sunday. I booked my flights to co-ordinate timewise. No other airline has a flight on Sat evening to Glasgow from Gatwick.
Can I claim any compensation from BA for this inconvenience? They will refund the cost of my flight, but this makes my outward journey more expensive as it is now a on-way ticket. BA are not helpful at all. How do they ever keep customers??
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Can anyone help me with what to do next, we flew BA out of newcastle on the day t5 openned we boarded at 2pm and when the plane was on the runnway the pilot told us all aboard the flight that no bags had been loaded, we were unaware of a problem until then.
We arrived at Heathrow very upset as we were going on a holiday of a lifetime to Cape Town and Victoria falls with the cloths we stood up in, what followed was a nightmare holiday with no cloths our cases were missing for 19 days we were back at home when we finally got them back, all BA staff in each country were hopeless and we kept being told that are bags would follow on so we ended up having to shop for esentials every day totally spoiling the holiday.
Its too nearly 3 months to be paid for our cloths we had to buy but we have already incurred intereston credit cards etc and lots of stress trying to get BA to pay up, they have offered us just £200 each for goodwill!!!!! the holiday cost us £4500 per couple and we could not eat in the hotels we stayed in because of our cloths also all we had was throw away camaras so we have no decent momories at all.
I have wrote to BA and told them to stick there £200 were the sun dont shine does anyone know what my rights are ireally want to sue themas i feel they broke there contract with me by not telling me that there was a problem before we flew then giving us an option and they were told that the systems at t5 would fail by experts but they still went a head with no regard to their customers, i wonder if Kate Moss was offered £200. Does anyone know what my next steps should be to get properly compensated for this i wont be able to afford another holiday like this again for many years please help.
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A TV screen at Naples informed of the directive until the check in desk opened. As flight was to be over three hours late asked for a copy. Reply: it will be given to you at the boarding gate. At boarding gate was informed that I should have asked at check in. Finally dumped ar Gatwick after last train home had left. Rang the number on your site to ask for leaflet. Told they had not got them and in any case I am not entitled to compensation.
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@ all of you.
If you have not being given advice about the EU directive or have not had a response from the airline despite contacting them at least twice then I would contact the European Commission for Transport.
Telephone : 00 800 678 910 11
Don’t let the airlines get away with it!!
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Anyone know how to file for compensation due per the EU reg. Olympic Airlines posts no info on their website about how to request it. Furthermore, they do not respond to written requests for information, either via email or fax.
any ideas? thx
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My flight from Manchester to London LHR was delayed in MAN due to operational reasons thus causing me to miss my connection to Buenos Aires. BA provided accomodation for the night and put us on the next flight 24 hrs later. I had to change planes in Sao Paulo and fly on to Buenos Aires in Ecomomy not Premium Economy. All this caused me the loss of two hotel nights,loss of fare difference and two taxi transfers. BA say they are not liable and to contact my travel insurance, they say they are not liable also. Do I have a claim from British Airways? Could anyone please offer advice?
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Please, advice if it is a valid reason for BA to refuse my claim – “Your claim for compensation has been refused because BA flight .. was cancelled due to aircraft damage which was not caused by British Airways which prevented the aircraft operating as scheduled. Under EU legislation, British Airways is not liable for a compensation payment in this situation.”
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Recently, XL cancelled my flight from Fuerteventura to Manchester and put me on another carrier into the East Midlands and bused us to Manchester. Overall they did a good job but for the obvious inconvenience I arrived in Manchester a little over an hour later than sheduled. They offered £25.0 in compensation. Under the EU directives would you say that was about right?
Thanks,
Chris
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Thanks, seemes be quite useful for us just now (3+ delay, internal EU 1500+).
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My wife and 3 children checked in with Ryan Air in Stansted – and were denied boarding.
Arriving in the check-in queue 1 hr 45 min before departure, had to wait for the slowest moving queue before spending long time in security queue ( where they were not allowed fasttrack, although asking 2 different security guards, who insisted there was enough time). Then the shoes scan, where my wife had to help them with their tiny shoes ( they were randomly selected for this,and my wigfe told they were late – and then rushing as fast as poss with small children to the gate.
Monitor displayed “last call”, but they were denied boarding – also denied alternative flight or money back.
She reports that the plane was still there and had staff been a little helpfull they should be able to board.
Instead they managed to buy tickets for Easyjet, leaving 5 hours later.
Have they got any rights?
I am hoping for the difference between the airfares or a refund and the Euro250 compensation.
As they were in the check in queue 1 hr 45 min before departure, Ryan Air staff was not sufficient to get passengers through efficient enough and security staff not allowing them to fast track – both part could have done better.
Have they got a case, and how to go about it?
Please help us if anybody can
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Airlines such as Ryanair have been dodging the denied boarding regulations by using loopholes such as the “extraordinary circumstances” exception, arguing that some unexpected event outside their control caused the delay. The EU is closing the loophole, apparently this will be done in a few months.
To be blunt, there is only one way to deal with an airline such as Ryanair — send them a single e-mail demanding that they pay-up by a date, say 10 working days in the future. Note in the e-mail that absent payment you will file a claim with a small claims court and that after that any compensation will have to include expenses relating to the claim (including some wasted time and filing fees) and on the 11th day file the claim without further correspondence, othe than a “I told you I was serious” note. With luck in the UK or Ireland you will get a judge who flew Ryanair a few times . . .
Actually, even that gobshite O’Leary is nervous of a test case on what “extraordinary circumstances” means, so they will settle than try to argue. Just insist that a sworn, notarised statement of the nature of the extraordinary circumstances be filed as well with the court, or testimony offered, if they try that argument.
You do need to be aware that the sort of things that turn airports into hellholes, for example massive snow-storms are probably “extraordinary circumstances.” The problem is with airlines trying to push “extraordinary circumstances” to be predictable events, such as routine maintenance issues, failure to schedule staff, staff time outs because of delays or just plain canceling the flight because they did not have enough passengers (Ryanairs favorite.) The regulations apply to flights in the EU and I think originating or terminating in the EU. The airlines are supposed to tell you your rights.
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No problem.
It’s April’s most read blog post!
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Very useful!!!
Thanks. Now I know why I read your blog often Darren.
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Good question Richie.
I’ve shown the poster to a few people and none of them have seen it in airports.
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Thanks for the information, this is extremely useful to know.
Why are the airlines hiding this information from holidaymakers?
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Global, thanks for the additional information
Ninetysec, this is an EU directive so only applies to flights within the European Union as far as I am aware.
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Just only the Eu Airline? How about the leading Airline in the world? They suppose to do the same way as I think.
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Rohan – compensation depends on the length of delay and also where you are going (including flight distance).
The factsheet is more helpful than the link in the blog entry, but still not as good as a previous leaflet (which I haven’t been able to find online today).
Alternatively, here is the link to the regulations
For flights under 1500km a 2+ hour delay. 1500+ km for intra-EU or 1500-3000km otherwise a 3+ hour delay. Else 4+ hour delay.
Compensation starts with meals & refreshments, plus 2 free ph calls faxes or emails.
Once delay is until next day (or beyond), then additionally hotel accommodation and transport between airport and hotel.
Once delay is 5 hours then additionally passenger can choose between full refund of that part of ticket or an immediate return flight to origin.
The rules apply to EU airlines (except for flights that do not include departure or arrival in EU), as well as non-EU airlines for flights departing from EU.
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I highly recommend anyone flying to, from or through EU to have on them a print out of the EU regulations.
It is easier to get what you’re entitled to when you have the official regs in writing with you.
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Rohan, I’ll check, but I would imagine it’s overnight delays and cancellations, because of the increasing numbers of delays and cancellations, and the number of people having to sleep on airport floors.
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Now that is interesting..
Is there a minimum number of hours before your allowed to claim compensation, or is it overnight delays and cancellations?
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