The recent strikes are causing many troubles to travellers across Europe. They often ignore their rights in case of delay or cancellation of flights. If you are flying to or from Spain soon, here you have some tips that might be useful in this situation.
When can you claim for a compensation?
Airlines are supposed to inform passengers of cancellations fourteen days in advance. If they fail to do this, they must provide a refund or a ticket to fly to your destination with another airline. This also applies to flights delayed for more than three hours, though so far this only applies to flights in UE airports or provided by UE companies.
You may also claim for a compensation (up to 600€) if your flight is cancelled, delayed more than three hours or you are denied boarding because of overbooking.
Airlines are not legally required to offer any compensation if the cancellation is due to acts of God such as extreme weather conditions or volcanic eruptions. Though strikes are usually considered force majeure too, passengers may claim an indemnity in some cases.
What happens if you get stuck at the airport because of the airline?
- Delay of two hours: the company must provide food and drinks, as well as access to e-mail or phone. Unless you get vouchers from them, remember to keep all the tickets!
- Delay of five hours: they must offer a full refund if you no longer wish to travel.
- Overnight delay: you should be offered accommodation and transfer to/from the hotel.
If the delay is not due to the airline, or you are travelling with a non-EU company, they are not required to offer any of these, so you might want to consider having travel insurance.
What if you lose your flight connection because of the delay?
It depends on the type of ticket you bought. If you booked just one ticket including the connections, then the airline must provide alternative flights to your final destination or a refund. However, if you bought your own combination of separate tickets and you miss any of the flights, you are not entitled to any compensation.
We hope you are not having any problem at all if you are flying soon. But if you do, remember your rights as a passenger. And, should you need help to claim for flight delay compensation, contact us and we will be glad to assist you.