Safe and informed air travel is possible: here is everything you need to know about the rights and obligations of passengers.
Let's clarify the European compensation.
Here is a vademecum for you to understand what is and how to claim compensation and refunds from airlines.
First, it is good to distinguish between reimbursement and compensation.
What is the refund
Il reimbursement is obtained when the flight has undergone a cancellation, a prolonged delay or it was denied boarding for overbooking and coincides with the return of the value of your ticket.
Sometimes the reimbursement also includes any expenses that the passenger had to incur when, for example, the flight was delayed and scheduled for the next day (in technical jargon we speak of overnight delay). In this case, if the carrier does not give the possibility to stay overnight in the hotel and the passenger has to advance the sum for food and accommodation, it is possible to request a refund; it is necessary to keep the receipts and always contact your company to know the limits of the allowable expenses and to know what is or is not refundable (each company has its own rules).
What is compensation
Il compensation it is a compensation that is obtained only in certain situations and has a different value calculated on the basis of the mileage range covered by the flight. It is called, specifically, European compensation EU261 as the Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament, in force since February 2005, which established the legislation to be followed for assistance to passengers taking flights:
- within the European Union managed by an EU or non-EU airline;
- landing in the EU from a non-EU country, operated by an EU airline;
- that take off from the EU to a non-EU country, operated by an EU or non-EU airline.
Compensation EU261 is one fine that the EU requires companies to pay for the inconvenience caused to their customers, in fact it is only obtained when the cancellation or delay (over 3 hours) is the responsibility of the company; for example due to technical problems with the aircraft or when the on-board staff is required to stop because they have exceeded the expected number of hours.
For extraordinary situations, originating from causes of force majeure, you are never entitled to compensation: for example strikes or bad weather.
It is not possible to request compensation even when the company has decided to cancel or change the flight time but has notified the passenger in time (2 weeks before, even less than a week if he has provided an alternative flight with a maximum delayed arrival of 2 hours compared to the original flight).
Overbooking, let's be clear
In case of overbooking, the passenger is entitled to refunds (or alternative flights) and compensation.
Let's clarify another point: denied boarding due to overbooking is a matter, denied boarding is another thing.
THEOverbooking it is the maneuver with which airlines and also hotels sell a greater number of seats and rooms than the actual availability. It is a common practice to guarantee 100% sales and maximize profits. The operators play the card of "somebody does not leave" and therefore, to avoid having free seats, they sell more than they should. The problem is when everyone leaves and 201 passengers arrive at the airport and not 200, in these cases someone has to give up flying and this person only finds out when he has to take the flight. Obviously, here a series of measures are taken by the company to stop the inconvenience caused.
Denied boarding due to overbooking, in short, is a disservice generated exclusively by the company, while denied boarding is the consequence of an action or lack of the passenger (in this case, compensation and reimbursement are denied).
Boarding is denied when the passenger, for example, does not have identity documents in order, they have expired or when a person poses a risk to the safety and health of other passengers.
Know that there are companies for which if you book you go and return together, but do not fly on the outward leg, the return is also canceled by default. These are the unfortunate discoveries for which nothing is owed to you, it is therefore worthwhile to consult, before take-off, the “Terms & Conditions” web page of the companies with which the flight was purchased.
Anyone who does not arrive at the gate on time is denied boarding. I'm sorry but the phrase "I arrived on time, the hostess did not want me to board is not much use because the plane cannot wait, take-offs are regulated by certain times and if the boarding procedures are definitively closed, it is not possible. do anyone discount.
When to arrive at the airport
It is always recommended to arrive two hours before take-off at the airport, even for those who have checked in online and are already in possession of a boarding pass, because this is considered the appropriate time frame to carry out all the procedures (check-in baggage, pass the security checks ) and reach the gate in time.
You are wrong if you think that if you do not have the luggage to send you can arrive an hour or a little earlier because you have to take into account the fact that there can be confusion and queues at the security checks.
Returning the European compensation here is how it is quantified:
250 euros per person for routes of less than 1500 km
400 euros per person for routes between 1500 and 3500 km
600 euros per person for routes over 3500 km.
Remember that in order to get refunds and compensation you must submit a request to the company (they won't give you anything back if you don't apply).
How to apply for European compensation
Often and frequently the advertising campaign stands out on the internet and especially on social media, such as facebook, to request compensation and compensation with the help and support of third-party intermediaries. Forget it, you can request compensation directly from the companies, usually on the official websites of each there are online forms to fill in with personal data and with those of the reservations.
If, after some time, you do not receive an answer, you can complain to theENAC. (National Agency for Civil Aviation), the body that monitors the rights of passengers and the correct application of the rules.
Also, if you miss a flight you often have the opportunity to get the refund of airport taxes which have a different value depending on the country from which you take off: for flights departing from Italian airports they are between 6.50 / 7.50 euros per person, some countries such as Spain and Portugal do not apply them.
Finally, if unfortunately you are unable to leave due to health problems or a bereavement, try to request a refund of the flight but it is always good to read the terms & conditions of each individual company you buy with because in these cases each one applies different procedures.
Travel informedhowever, it is always the best defense.
