Internal strike at HOP! : How should the inconvenience caused to passengers be compensated?
Air strikes affect hundreds of airports every day, especially during periods of tourist rush, 23% of HOP flights! Air France are canceled each year because of strikes which can last for several weeks. Annoyance can quickly contaminate summer travelers. To limit their depression, good news: they can be compensated.
Perhaps you were unaware of it, like two out of three air passengers who consider that they are not well informed of their rights: European law has thought of the inconveniences that cancellations, delays or denied boarding can cause for holidaymakers as for professionals. And planned the blow. Know therefore that in addition to reimbursement of the ticket, compensation exists, which can climb up to 600 euros.
Stuck at the airport because of a strike? what procedure should you use?
There are two types of air strike: the air traffic control strike, independent of the airlines, and the air personnel strike. In the second case only, you can claim compensation since the company is legally responsible for its labor disputes. And this is precisely the case with the HOP staff strike!
You must then make sure that your flight meets the necessary conditions. Which flights are eligible? The legislation being defined at European level, it is flights departing from European airports which can give rise to compensation. If your flight takes off from a non-European country, you must check that the operator, that is to say the operator that routes you (and not the carrier from which you took your tickets) is European, which is of course the case for the French company.
If your flight is eligible, here are the compensation conditions:
– In the event of a delay: if your flight arrives more than 3 hours late at your final destination, you can surely be compensated. Tip: if you are making a connecting journey, prefer to take all of your tickets from the same company. Otherwise, you cannot be compensated in case the delay of your first flight makes you miss the second.
– In the event of a cancellation: you can claim compensation if your flight is canceled due to the staff strike.
– In the event of denied boarding: if you are denied boarding due to a lack of staff, you can also make a claim for compensation (always in addition to reimbursement of the ticket).
It is good to know that your company has a duty to take care of you in the event of delay, whether it is because of a strike or not. After two hours of waiting, your company must offer you snacks and refreshments.
The amount of compensation to be negotiated with HOP!
In broad outline, here are the indemnities that you are entitled to claim if your file is eligible:
– 250 euros for flights of less than 1,500 km,
– 400 euros for flights of less than 3,500 km,
– 600 euros for other connections whose overall distance exceeds three thousand five hundred kilometers (3,500km).
Be compensated by its carrier: How is the operation going?
You can make your request to the complaints department or customer of the airline company handling your transport. Response times are often long, procedures can extend over five years. If you do not want to burden yourself with paperwork, many sites offer to do it for you, defend yourself and go to court to recover what your company owes you.
Many startups offer you to enter your flight data on its platform. You will be informed in the process by an automatic email of the eligibility (or not) of your flight. If it is, the company’s lawyers take care of the administrative procedures, 90% of the eligible requests are successful, 60% in less than 3 months.
How much does it cost ? Upstream procedures are free. The company takes a commission of 25% excluding tax on your compensation. On the other hand, if the claim for compensation is refused, the service is free.