Flights are delayed and canceled, and no one is surprised. There are also times when an unfortunate person is told that there is unfortunately no more space on the plane and he will have to wait a few hours. If you travel regularly, you may have experienced some of this during your travels.
What can I do in such situations and is there any form of compensation? Often due, but in turn everything.
The first thing to remember is if you are traveling in Europe or with a European airline then you are protected.
Airline Compensation: The Most Important
1. Who can claim compensation?
Anyone who has bought a ticket can claim a refund.
Regardless of nationality and age. Compensation is payable both to citizens of the European Union and to non-nationals. And the infant, like adults, is entitled to full compensation (250 – 600 euros, depending on the distance traveled).
Importantly, airline compensation is also due if you do not have travel insurance or do not cover this type of risk.
2. What are the rules?
The rules are very simple.
If your flight is delayed by 3 hours or more due to an airline fault, less cancellation will occur
more than 2 weeks before your scheduled departure date, or you are denied boarding with the reservation that there are no seats available – you may be entitled to a compensation of € 250, € 400 or € 600.
Compensation is not paid automatically. It must be claimed.
This applies to the following cases:
The flight is to or from Europe;
Delay or cancellation is the fault of the airline;
If the flight is from a non-European country, the flight must be with a European flight
airline;
This has happened in the last 3 years.
Europe means all the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
3. How much compensation is due?
The amount of compensation is fixed and depends on the flight distance.
The amount of compensation does not depend on the price of the ticket. You can get a € 400 refund even if your ticket cost only € 40.
250 euros – for flights up to 1500 kilometers (1-2 hours long flights);
EUR 400 for flights between 1500 and 3500 kilometers;
600 euros – if the flight distance is more than 3500 kilometers.
The farther the flight, the more compensation is due.
4. How do I claim compensation from an airline?
One option is to write to the airline and try to settle it yourself.
A simpler and faster option is to let someone more experienced do it for you. In Latvia it is dealt with by Refundor.
The company’s specialists also speak Latvian and Russian. Refundor withholds 25% of this amount for this legal service. If it turns out that you are not entitled to a refund, however, you do not have to pay for the service at all. If there is no compensation, then there is no charge.
Fill out the application on refundor.com, sign the application and wait for the refund in your account. The wait usually takes about 3 months.
