The risk of flight delays and cancellations is an integral part of air travel. At the same time, not all passengers are aware of their rights and procedures in a similar situation. Find out what bonuses you can count on and how to get compensation and reimbursement from the carrier

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There are cases when, after arriving at the airport, a passenger learns that his flight has been delayed or even canceled. Such situations can be annoying, stressful and ruin your travel plan, especially if you have to wait for hours at the airport. However, being aware of your rights can help ease this burden.

We talked about how big the problem of flight cancellations and delays is here. Today we will talk about the current types of compensation and the procedure for receiving them.

The passenger's rights if the flight is delayed or canceled and the grounds for payment of compensation

The legislation of many countries of the world provides for the payment of compensation to passengers in case of flight delay or cancellation, but its amount depends on the rules of a specific state, for example:

European Union

The rights of passengers in the European Union are regulated by Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004 of the European Parliament and the Council of February 11, 2004. According to this document, if your flight is delayed or canceled, you can receive:

- Financial compensation for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation or delay of your flight (from 250 to 600 euros).

- Reimbursement of the cost of tickets or the possibility to change the route.

- Free care (hotel accommodation, food and soft drinks, transportation between airports and accommodation, etc.).

Grounds for compensation:

1. Your flight was delayed - the flight is considered delayed if your regular flight arrived at the final destination later than 3 hours;

2. The flight was canceled and you were not notified of the cancellation at least 14 days before departure.

3. Your flight was to/from/within the EU – You took off from an airport in an EU country and landed anywhere in the world, or your flight was operated by an air carrier registered in the EU and arrived at an airport in the EU;

3. The flight was delayed due to the fault of the airline (operational problems, technical problems with the aircraft, problems with flight planning).

Great Britain

Under UK law, if your flight is delayed for a long enough time, your airline must provide you with food and drink, access to phone calls and emails, accommodation if you are delayed overnight and compensation for transfers between the airport and the hotel.

The airline may provide you with vouchers to receive these services at the airport. If they don't help you at the airport, keep your receipts and try to claim a refund from the airline later.

Grounds for compensation:

1. Your flight was delayed for 2 to 4 hours.

2. The flight was canceled and you were not notified of the cancellation at least 14 days before departure.

3. Your flight was to/from/within the UK, the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland or the airline belonged to one of these countries.

3. The flight was delayed due to the fault of the airline (operational problems, technical problems with the aircraft, problems with flight planning).

 Turkey

In case of flight cancellation or delay in Turkey, passengers can count on:

- Compensation in the amount of 100 to 600 euros in case of flight cancellation, provided that the passenger was notified of the cancellation less than two weeks before departure.

- Delayed flights in Turkey are not entitled to general compensation like canceled flights, they require the airline to ensure that passengers who are inconvenienced are comfortable. You should get: access to phone calls, emails, food and accommodation (if your stay is overnight). In general, the rights of Turkish passengers in case of delay depend on the waiting time at the airport and the total distance of the flight.

India

- If your flight is delayed for 2 hours or more, you are entitled to free food or soft drinks. If flights are delayed for more than 24 hours - free hotel accommodation.

- In the event that you are notified of the cancellation less than 2 weeks before the scheduled departure time, the airline must provide you with an alternative ticket or refund the ticket.

- Financial compensation for a delayed or canceled flight in the country ranges from 55 to 110 euros.

How to get compensation?

In general, the procedure for receiving compensation is quite complicated, especially considering that according to statistics, only 20% of airlines pay compensation directly to passengers. Usually, it takes several months, and sometimes even several years, to prepare documents and wait for money.

In order to file a claim against the airline, the passenger must collect the following documents: flight itinerary, airline tickets, boarding pass, information about the notification from the airline related to the failure, as well as any other documents that support your claim. This is important as it will serve as proof of any delay or cancellation that occurred. Then you need to contact the airline as soon as possible and inform it of the malfunction and your desire to claim compensation.

It is especially difficult to pay compensation if you have to prove your rights in court. In this situation, the passenger also needs to pay court fees and attorney's fees. Given that the amount of expenses may exceed the amount of possible compensation, such actions are not at all beneficial for passengers.

That is why experienced travelers usually entrust all the hard work to a special company that specializes in communication with air carriers, because the experts' experience can guarantee receiving compensation. Skycop is an intermediary that demonstrates high standards of service. Another important advantage of cooperation with specialists is that you do not need to pay anything in advance, intermediary companies take a commission only if the airline agrees to the reimbursement. If the airline refuses to compensate the passenger for damages, then the service (negotiations with the carrier, etc.) will be free for you.

Photo: Depositphotos

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