The holiday season is coming and with it the excitement of taking the plane to the long-awaited destination of rest and tourism chosen. An expectation that can be truncated with flight delay and missed subsequent connections or for the charging of an extra fee for cabin luggage. Fortunately, The European Regulation establishes a series of rights for travelers.
The latest reform of Regulation 261/2004 updates some of the European Union’s protection measures for air passengers, with issues related to charging for cabin bags, flight delays and cancellations and the location of passengers in their seats. Some measures that bring new developments in rates and in the payment of compensation.
To explain these issues, the lawyer Ana Rodriguezwanted to explain to his followers on social networks the rights they have when flying within the European Union or with an airline of this. As explained, travelers have the right to compensation if their flight is delayed by three or more hours; However, the majority do not know the key information to be able to request it.
This is the compensation that can be received for a flight delayed more than 3 hours
“Be careful because the key is not the time at which the plane leaves, but the time the doors open when you arrive at your destination“Taking this fact into account, if a flight had its arrival time at 10:00 a.m., but has been delayed and ended up opening its doors at 1:05 p.m., its travelers are entitled to financial compensation.
“If your flight arrives with 3 hours or more late Regarding the scheduled time, European Regulation 261/2004 gives you the right to a automatic compensation of 400 euros per passenger for inter-community routes,” explains the lawyer. Precisely, one of the novelties announced this August 15 was the arrival of the money automatically, without having to wait long weeks from the request.
As for the amounts that can be received, these remain the same. For flights of a distance of up to 1,500 kilometers and with a delay of 3 hours or more, passengers will be entitled to compensation of 250 euros. This amount will increase to 300 euros in the case of flights non-intra-community routes of more than 3,500 kilometers and with a delay of at least 3 hours, but less than 4 hours.
The 400 euros will be intended for intra-community flights of more than 1,500 kilometers or between 1,500 km and 3,500 km on other flights, as long as the delay is 3 hours or more; and the greatest amount, of 600 euroswill be given to those travelers on non-EU flights, who travel more than 3,500 km and are delayed by 4 hours or more.
The company will offer hotel accommodation in case it extends until the next day
“And while you wait in the terminal, they are forced to give you food and drink vouchers“recalls the lawyer based on the information that appears on the website of the airline Ryanair, of which she was a client. Likewise, in the section on delayed flights, the company specifies that, if this lasts until the next day, they usually provide hotel accommodation and transportation between hotel and airport.
The lawyer remembers the importance of always save “boarding passes, the actual door opening time and tickets “whatever you consume” to have proof in case you have to claim compensation for a flight delay. However, in the case of cabin suitcasesthe situation has changed a little with the arrival of the reform of the European Regulation, since now the companies yes they will be able to collect themif they so decide.
Yes, they will be able to charge for cabin bags, although there are new developments
The novelty is that, now, they must include it in the first rate they showalthough the price is higher. This will give the traveler the possibility of saying, without mistakes, whether or not to travel with a cabin suitcase and choose the rate that best suits your needs. This decision has surprised, especially considering that the CJEU ruling rejected payment for taking it on board.
For all these reasons, it is important to know the rights of collected travelers within the framework of the European Unionas it will allow you to receive compensation in the event of delays or changes in a trip that has taken months of preparation. However, to know how to act in these cases, it is best to go to a specialized lawyer so that you can resolve any possible doubts during the process.