Flying with Singapore Airlines: Your rights in the event of damage
If your flight has been delayed or canceled, or if the Singaporean airline has denied you boarding, you are entitled to compensation and reimbursement.
The protective rules apply to European flights, i.e. flights from airports located in the European Union including Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, regardless of the final destination of the flight and the nationality of the airline, and flights to one of these same countries if the effective carrier is European.
In the event of a flight delayed by at least two hours, cancellation or denied boarding due to “overbooking”, that is to say the overbooking practiced by the company, the latter must provide its passengers with a information notice summarizing the rights to compensation, reimbursement and a claim.
Flight experiencing a long delay: is Singapore Airlines obliged to compensate you?
If the delay is significant, the airline must first offer support for the passenger: refreshments, catering, two communications, even transfer and accommodation in a hotel if the departure cannot take place before the next day.
The airline has this obligation to assist from the moment the flight is delayed at least:
– 2 hours in the case of a flight of 1,500 km maximum,
– 3 hours in the case of a flight of more than 1,500 km within the European Union and from 1,500 to 3,500 km for another flight,
– 4 hours in the case of a flight of more than 3500 km.
Variable compensation in the event of a delay (at arrival) of at least 3 hours
The flat-rate compensation is as follows (also valid in the event of a canceled flight and overbooking). In the event of a flight delay greater than 5 hours, and if he renounces his journey, the passenger is entitled to have his ticket reimbursed.
Singapore Airlines must pay compensation by any means (cash, check, transfer, etc.). Compensation in the form of travel vouchers or credit notes can only be made with the written consent of the passenger.
To determine the actual arrival time of the flight, the time at which the aircraft doors were opened should be used, not the landing time.
But the company has the right not to pay compensation if it proves that the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances or a case of force majeure.
If the flight is suspended:
In the event that the flight is canceled, each passenger able to justify a reservation is entitled to request compensation in addition to their re-routing or reimbursement of the ticket. He is therefore entitled to:
– to a re-routing on another flight with coverage by the carrier of meals, drinks, accommodation if necessary, during the waiting time; alternatively to the reimbursement of the ticket if the passenger renounces his journey;
– the payment of a lump sum compensation the amount of which is more or less the same as that provided for a delayed flight.
However, compensation is not compulsory:
– if the passenger has been informed of the cancellation by the company two weeks before the departure time or, in the event of a shorter delay, if a seat is offered to him on another flight at a departure time and d arrival comparable to the schedule originally planned,
– if Singapore Airlines proves that the cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances or a case of force majeure.
Receive compensation after booking an overbooked flight
Depending on whether the passenger accepts or does not accept the denied boarding, specific obligations are imposed on the airline.
However, before refusing the passenger to board, the national carrier must appeal to passengers who may agree not to board the flight.
Passengers who voluntarily renounce boarding this flight can choose either to be rerouted by another airline flight, or to be reimbursed for the ticket (but then they expressly renounce their journey).
On the other hand, the passenger who does not answer the call for voluntary service of his airline company is entitled:
– re-routing by another flight or reimbursement of the ticket,
– A charge by the company depending on the waiting time for its re-routing: refreshments, catering, two calls, and if the departure cannot take place before the next day, accommodation and transfers between the place of accommodation and the airport,
– A lump sum compensation, the amount of which is identical to that of delay and cancellation and varies between 250 and 600 € depending on the length of the journey.
On the other hand, the passenger loses his rights if he is denied boarding for a reason which is attributable to him (late presentation at check-in or boarding of a flight, health reasons, behavior which may cause a risk for the proper conduct of the flight, inadequate travel documents, etc.).
Asserting your rights: how to claim them from Singapore Airlines?
Barring exceptions, passenger compensation is neither immediate nor automatic, but in all cases is the responsibility of the airline. It is therefore necessary to enter the company personally to obtain compensation.
Finally, it is always possible to initiate legal action for compensation for damages by asking for help from online lawyers, particularly in the case where the passenger considers that the delay, cancellation or overbooking have caused financial or moral damage: loss of working days, professional loss, loss of rental payments or reservations for accommodation nights, canceled holidays, etc.