Air Italy is late or overbooked, it is obliged to compensate you financially
In terms of cheap service, Air Italy is one of the most reputable airlines. It also competes with the largest European companies with regard to the quality of the services offered. Like any air carrier, it has to deal with flight disruption problems. It is therefore possible that you may be the victim of a flight disturbance at their home. If your flight with the Italian carrier to Tunisia, Morocco, or Belgium has been canceled, you can under certain conditions be compensated. Do you want to know the eligibility criteria for compensation for flight cancellation? How much is the compensation and how do I get it?
Receive compensation: First, you must meet certain conditions
Being a British airline, Air Italy is concerned by the European regulation CE 261/2004. The latter defines the conditions under which passengers can claim compensation if they experience a flight disruption. To claim compensation for your flight to Tunisia, here are the three criteria that your flight must check:
– The flight must depart from an airport belonging to the zone comprising the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the outermost region;
– The cause of the flight cancellation must be attributable to the airline;
– The airline did not notify you of the flight cancellation at least two weeks earlier.
It is also important to check whether the cause of the cancellation is not attributable to the airline. Indeed, if this disturbance follows an extraordinary circumstance or an external cause, no compensation is possible. Bad weather, political problems, and strikes by airport staff are some examples of external causes. If the airline has notified you on time, it must also offer you an acceptable alternative for your canceled flight. Otherwise, obtaining a flight compensation canceled by Air Italy is quite possible. In addition, the claim for compensation must be made within a given period. This period is 5 years in France while it is 2 years in Belgium. In no case can a claim for compensation be made outside this period.
How much is your compensation for a flight canceled by Air Italy?
The compensation you can claim for canceled flights does not depend on the price of the plane ticket. This compensation only depends on the distance of your flight path. The amount of compensation varies between 250 and 600 euros. More specifically, it is to:
– 250 euros for flights to Tunisia over a distance of less than 1,500 kilometers (Rome-Tunis flight for example);
– 400 euros for flights to Tunisia over a distance between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers (London-Tunis flight for example);
– 600 euros for flights to Tunisia over a distance greater than 3,500 kilometers (Martinique-Tunis flight for example).
European regulations stipulate that the airline company must compensate the passenger for lost time and constraints. Thus, if you have waited at the airport for at least two hours, you must benefit from certain services. The European carrier has the obligation to offer you a good meal and snacks. You must also have two calls if you cannot reach your loved ones yourself. There are two phone calls and two emails or faxes to send. In some cases, your canceled flight may be postponed until the next day. He then has the duty to take care of your transport and accommodation costs in a hotel. If you do not benefit from these services, you can legitimately request the reimbursement of the expenses incurred. Therefore, you must keep proof of the expenses made.
In addition, you also have the option of canceling your canceled flight. This is only possible if you are put on hold for more than 5 hours. For this purpose, you can request the pure and simple reimbursement of your plane ticket. The other option available to you is to ask Air Italy to quickly offer you an alternative means of transport.
Additional airport fees: Who should pay them?
If the financial compensation cannot be combined with travel vouchers, it is with other costs. It is for example possible to request reimbursement of costs related to passenger assistance by Air Italy. In fact, the airline company is obliged to take care of its customers when they are waiting at the airport for a replacement flight.
This assistance includes both snacks and drinks. Passengers are also entitled to free phone calls. Hotel and transportation costs to this accommodation must also be covered by the air carrier. In the event that you bear these expenses yourself, you can require the Italian company to reimburse the corresponding amount.
To do this, you will need to present the receipts and invoices for the said expenses. If you also wait for more than 5 hours at the airport without Air Italy offering you an alternative flight, you can claim reimbursement of your plane ticket. This reimbursement is generally made within 7 days.
In summary, the flight incidents that occur with Air Italy give passengers the right to be compensated under certain conditions by the airline. To benefit from this compensation, it is possible to contact the company directly, which is long and tedious, or to go through a specialized organization. Compensation startups offer quality services in this sense and free of charge as long as you have not been successful in the matter.