Delay on a connecting flight: who compensates?
For years, airlines like Rossiya have blamed delays on connecting flights that have been booked once, without thinking about the customer. But those days are over since at the end of July, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided. The steps to follow to be compensated.
Connecting flights, it does not bother us, on the contrary it allows to extend the vacation and discover (if there is time) another place. On the other hand, what we like least are the delays which make us miss said correspondence and the difficulties which result from it to be compensated during flights carried out by different companies!
Example: I am going to Australia, I reserve my tickets with Rossiya who offers me a stopover and to travel, in a second step, with another company. Problem on D-Day, the first flight made by the Russian company arrives four hours late, which makes me miss my correspondence with the company Etihad Airways … Who to contact for compensation?
So far the companies have been kicking the ball, but fortunately, our summer 2019 promises to be under better auspices thanks to the Court of Justice of the European Union which took position on a case dating from 2013: in the context of a connecting flight, having given rise to a single reservation, the customer can take action against the carrier who sold the tickets. In our practical case above, it would therefore be Rossiya. Please note that these reasons for compensation are only valid if the flights originate from or are destined for Europe.
Good reflexes:
– Make sure all flights are under a single booking reference, not purchased separately. If you purchased your flights separately, you will not be able to receive compensation.
– Check that the delay at your final destination is more than three hours in order to be eligible.
– Ask for the reason for the delay. The more specific the reason, the better. If they claim it is due to “operational circumstances” or “flight safety issues”, ask for more details. This information is important if you decide to make a claim. For example, if extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather, a medical emergency, or a strike by air traffic controllers are the cause of missed correspondence, these count as exceptional circumstances for which the airline cannot be held responsible. It’s the same with the no-fly, a problem with the airport radar, acts of sabotage or terrorism. The airline is responsible for the things it controls.
– Keep all the documents relating to your flight (boarding pass, purchase summary, etc.)
– Quickly contact the customer service of the company with which you made the reservation.
Tips from airlines to avoid compensating you for a late flight
A delay of 2.58 hours is not a delay of 3 hours. And that’s all that makes the difference for airlines when it comes to compensating passengers.
And it’s not always easy to assert your rights. The best thing is to take a photo of the door opening, when possible, or ask a specialist association for help. The newspaper reports the case of Italian passengers whose Portuguese company they borrowed had estimated their flight delay at 2:55. We had to go to court and recover the flight data via a third-party company to open the way to compensation.