The Aeromexico flight is late: How to compensate for the hassle of passengers?
4 out of 5 passengers are unaware that in the event of a delayed, canceled or overbooked flight, they may benefit from compensation from the airlines! These rights are regulated and guaranteed by the European Union. Here is a summary of your passenger rights and the procedure to follow to obtain compensation.
Claiming compensation: What are the criteria?
European regulation 261/2004, which entered into force on February 17, 2005, allows passengers to claim compensation of up to € 600 per passenger. To know whether or not you are eligible, you must be able to meet these 4 criteria:
The itinerary (route): for flights operated by European airlines, you can claim compensation if your flight takes off and / or lands at an airport located within the European Union. For flights operated by non-European airlines (this is the case with Aeromexico), it is only possible to claim compensation if your flight takes off from an airport located in the EU.
Circumstances: the air carrier must be responsible for delay, cancellation or denied boarding. If the circumstances are beyond his control, they will be qualified as extraordinary circumstances and compensation cannot take place.
The duration of the delay: this delay must be 3 hours or more upon arrival at the final destination.
The complaint period: this varies according to the country. For example, in France, you have a period of 5 years after the date of your flight to file a claim while in Belgium, this period will only be one year.
The amount provided to repair the damage:
The amount of compensation is calculated based on the distance between the airport of departure and arrival. This varies between 250 € and 600 €.
– 250 € for journeys of 1500 kilometers or less
– € 400 for those between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers and for all flights over 3,500 kilometers made within the EU
– 600 € for all other flights
However, European regulations stipulate that if the delay is between 3h and 4h, the amount of compensation can be halved.
In addition to this allowance, passengers can get refreshments, a meal, a hotel night and airport transfers.
Other cases (overbooking or flight cancellation):
If the airline denies you boarding due to overbooking, a flight cancellation or a delay of more than 5 hours, you will then have the right to choose between placement on another flight and reimbursement of the ticket issued by Aeromexico. She will also have to pay you compensation, the amount of which will depend on the distance traveled (see above). The carrier is required to pay compensation in cash, check, transfer etc., but not on a good trip, unless the passenger agrees.
Be careful however! There are situations in which the Mexican company is not required to reimburse its passengers, in the following cases:
– Passengers are informed two weeks before the flight,
– A place is offered on another flight at an hour close to the originally scheduled time,
– The circumstances are extraordinary: weather, strike…
This last point is particularly debated between consumer associations and airlines.
Filing your complaint: The procedure
In the event of failure to fulfill the obligations listed above, the passenger must, firstly, file a complaint with the carrier. The processing time for the complaint is on average 2 months. Before asserting your rights with the competent air authority in the country where the cancellation / delay / denied boarding has taken place.
Complaint to specialists in compensation for air damage
Not sure if you can assert your rights? Contact one of the organizations specializing in passenger law:
All you have to do is fill in an online form, it only takes a few minutes, and after that these organizations take action for you.
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