NEWS

Compensation entitlements for traveling glitches

European Union legislation mandates that airlines compensate passengers for major inconveniences encountered on their trip. Yet a recent survey by Eurobarometer showed that only 35 percent of Europeans know their entitlements. For more stress-free air travel, it helps to be aware of the following: * When a flight is overbooked, the airline company must ask for volunteers who are willing to give up their seats in return for a refund of the ticket price or an alternative means of reaching their destination. * If you are not prepared to accept those options, the company must pay you compensation of 250 euros for flights of up to 1,500 kilometers, 400 euros for flights of up to 3,500 km and 600 euros for longer distances. * If a flight is canceled and passengers have not been informed in time (at least two weeks in advance) they may chose between compensation, a ticket refund or an alternative flight. Passengers lose their entitlement to compensation if the airline can prove that the flight was canceled due to exceptional circumstances or to matters beyond its control. When a flight is delayed (more than two hours for flights of up to 1,500 km, three hours for flights of more than 3,500 km and four hours or more for all other flights), the airline must offer passengers meals and refreshments for as long as they have to wait and two free phone calls or e-mails. If the flight is delayed until the following day, passengers are entitled to free accommodation and free transport to the hotel. For delays longer than five hours, passengers can demand a full refund for the cost of the ticket within seven days.

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