Flight canceled or delayed by French Bee, what are the airline’s responsibilities
Nothing is worse than being ready to finally go on a well-deserved vacation and learn at the airport that your flight has been canceled. It is just as unpleasant to miss a business meeting or an important meeting abroad.
Unfortunately, these situations occur too often, causing significant and legitimate frustration among the passengers who are the victims. These frustrations are all the more important when there is no compensation or if it is insufficient due to an inadequate legal framework.
The European legislator therefore took measures in 2004 to considerably improve the situation of air passengers by granting them a number of rights in a Regulation. These guarantees are applicable to all passengers, both for passengers leaving the European Union and for passengers entering it.
Learn about your rights
As a passenger, it is important to be properly informed about the rights of victims of flight delays or flight cancellations. The European Regulation recognizes specific rights for passengers in the event of:
– Flight cancellation;
– One flight delay;
– Denied boarding.
The cancellation of a flight means that a scheduled connection in which at least one seat was reserved did not take off. French Bee has the obligation, in the event of a flight cancellation, to allow the passenger to choose between:
– The reimbursement of the flight within seven days;
– A return flight to the first point of departure at the first opportunity;
– Another link at comparable flight conditions to the final destination at the first opportunity;
– A service at a later date at the passenger’s choice if a place is available.
If the passenger chooses to take another flight and the airline plans to fly to a different airport than the one the passenger booked. It is also obliged to cover the costs incurred in getting from the airport to the destination.
The passenger is also entitled to care. This implies that the airline is obliged to offer passengers sufficient meals and refreshments given the waiting time. The victim can also access other free services, including two phone calls. If necessary, the French company will also have to provide accommodation at the hotel.
In addition to this choice and support, passengers are entitled to a lump sum compensation. The amount of this depends on the flight distance and not on the price of the ticket.
Is your plane late?
When the flight is delayed by:
– Two hours or more for flights of 1500 km or less
– Three hours or more for flights in the European Union of more than 1500 km and other flights between 1500 km and 3000 km
– Four hours for all other flights
The passenger is entitled to assistance as in the case of cancellation
If the flight is at least five hours late, the passenger has the right to choose between the different possibilities set out above (reimbursement, etc.).
It does not appear explicitly from the European Regulation that passengers are entitled to compensation in the event of delay. The Court of Justice has nevertheless decided that in the event of a delay of three hours or more, the passenger is entitled to the same compensation as in the case of the cancellation of a flight.
French Bee refuses to ship you?
Denied boarding means that a specific passenger is denied boarding due to a change of aircraft to a smaller aircraft or due to overbooking. In this case, the airline is obliged to ask if volunteers are ready to give up their reservation in exchange for specific advantages. In addition to these benefits, volunteers are entitled to reimbursement of their ticket or an alternative route. However, they have no right to compensation.
If there are not enough volunteers, the company may refuse to board certain passengers. These must immediately receive compensation from the airline. Rejected passengers are also entitled to reimbursement of their ticket or an alternative route.
Do you compensate for the hassle experienced at the airport:
The compensation received by passengers depends on the flight distance.
1500 km or less € 250
– Intra-community flight of more than 1500 km € 400,
– Other flights between 1500 km and 3500 km € 400,
– Other flights € 600.
If the airline can offer another flight, compensation can be reduced by 50% depending on the delay compared to the original arrival time:
– Two hours for flights of 1500 km or less,
– Three hours for intra-Community flights over 1500 km and other flights between 1500 and 3500 km,
– Four hours for all other flights.
French Bee is obliged to pay this compensation in cash or with any other means of payment. A travel voucher or clearing service is only possible if the passenger accepts it in writing.
In the following cases, the airline is not obliged to grant compensation:
– The cancellation was announced two weeks before the scheduled departure time;
– In the event of a slight delay, another flight is offered with an arrival time close to that scheduled for the original flight;
– The delay is due to exceptional circumstances which cannot be avoided, even by taking all the necessary measures (weather conditions, strike),
This latter possibility does not apply in the event of denied boarding.
Compensation does not replace other possible compensation. It remains possible to engage the liability of the airline, for example on the basis of article 1382 of the Civil Code for the damage suffered.
Get compensation without going through the French airline
To obtain compensation, it is advisable to contact directly the companies offering to claim compensation instead of victims of aircraft delay by allowing you to avoid long and above all costly procedures. You can easily claim your compensation by contacting them using our form.