What procedure should you follow if your plane trip is disrupted?
You had booked the trip of your dream, negotiated firmly with your colleagues to get your 2 weeks off, fiercely struggled to close your packed suitcase, stressed all the way to the airport and bardaf, in front of the screen. flight display, you discover with fright that your flight is several hours late. Or worse, it is canceled.
What procedure should you follow if your plane trip is disrupted?
First reflex, go to your airline’s information counter to find out more about the situation and the possible solutions it can offer you. Note that in Europe, your Austrian company is obliged to inform you about your rights and the reasons for the cancellation or delay (if it exceeds more than 2 hours, or, for long flights of more than 3500 km, 4 hours).
– Three hour delay
You may be asked to be patient for a few hours (in this case watch the display screen carefully: if the flight number changes, you are the victim of a cancellation, not a delay, which can play on your rights in terms of compensation).
Try to obtain a written document attesting to the delay and its reasons. This can be useful if you are trying to get compensation.
– In case of cancellation
You will be assigned another flight. If it does not take off until the next day, we will reserve a hotel room for you. Austrian Airlines must also meet your needs for refreshments, food and communications, for example by providing a telephone, depending on the length of your flight and the waiting time.
In all cases, remember to ask for a certificate which will allow you, if necessary, to assert your rights and to obtain compensation more easily. If you have to bear these costs yourself, also keep all receipts and proofs of purchases of drinks, food, hotel room reservations … due to delay or cancellation.
– What if we refuse to board you?
In the long list of everything that can go wrong with your flight, Overbooking is a traveler’s nightmare.
Literally translated as Overbooking, this process involves an airline such as Austrian Airlines selling a number of tickets for reservations greater than the aircraft’s transport capacity. Airlines use it to increase the profitability of the flight because they find that statistically, a certain number of travelers do not finally board (delay, hindrance, etc.).
The European Union surprisingly does not consider this practice to be illegal even if it is regulated. In principle, if too many passengers arrive at the airport, the company must report the situation and call for volunteers in exchange for compensation and / or a seat on another flight. If no one offers, it can designate passengers against their will.
However, airlines often accept passengers on a first-come, first-served basis. A word of advice, if you are overbooked, ask for a certificate and make sure that it does not indicate that you were a volunteer if this is not the case.
Your rights in the event of overbooking?
Fortunately, laws protect the rights of travelers.
In Europe, if you are faced with a cancellation or an overbooking situation, you have the right to:
– Be offered a free alternative transport to your final destination;
– OR be fully reimbursed for your ticket and, if you were connecting, possibly be repatriated to your point of departure.
For long delays (more than 5 hours or more), you are entitled to a refund. Please note, if you accept this refund, your airline is not obliged to assist you for the rest of your trip.
How many euros should Austrian Airlines put in your pocket in the event of damage?
In some cases, you can also get compensation from the airline for the hours you will not spend on a magnificent white sand beach sipping cocktails or climbing a backpack on a volcano with an unpronounceable name in a distant land .
These indemnities are granted for cancellations, delays of more than 3 hours at the final destination, denied boarding and missed connections, which are attributable to the airline and cause a delay at the final destination.
For your file to be admissible, it must first meet one of these 2 criteria:
– It concerns a flight from an airport located in the European Union, regardless of the airline company (for example a Paris-New York flight operated by an American company is eligible. However, the return flight, New York-Paris, is not eligible).
– It concerns a flight made by a European company with landing at an airport located in the European Union (for example a New York-Paris flight provided by Austrian Airlines).
Next, Austrian Airlines must be held responsible. Thus, you will not get compensation in the following circumstances:
– Natural disaster (eruption of a volcano, storm …),
– Strike by airport staff, air traffic controllers, etc,
– Attack, delay following an accident on another flight.
Note that even if your airline is not forced to pay you compensation, it can still make a commercial gesture and offer you a refund of the ticket (in whole or in part if the inconvenience affected only part of your journey), an alternative solution as soon as possible or a new reservation at a later date of your choice.
How much to claim from its operator?
The amount of compensation is fixed by law:
– for flights of 1500 km or less: € 250
– for flights of more than 1,500 km and less than 3,500 km: € 400
– for flights over 3500 km: € 600
Please note, the overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Reunion, Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte) are considered intra-community, with a maximum of € 400 for compensation.
Claim compensation? How does this phase take place?
You can claim your compensation directly from the airline or, if you prefer to delegate everything to specialists, call on a specialized company. In exchange for a commission, the latter will be responsible for compiling a file and taking all steps to obtain the compensation to which you are entitled. This saves you time and increases your chances of seeing your case succeed (since it is handled by lawyers).
If you choose the second option, we recommend the services of compensation firms. If successful, they take a 25% commission including tax on the compensation obtained. If the file is not successful, you pay nothing.
Good to know if you had a problem several months ago, these startups accept applications up to a maximum of five years after the fact.