The recent eruption of the Icelandic Volcano has caused trouble to many as the ash clouds traveled their way till around Parisand beyond resulting in numerous flights being cancelled. However the flights are resuming back to operations but the situation is still not normal as around 700 flights were cancelled from Germany according to Europe’s air traffic agency.
The troubled passengers at the airports had to suffer a lot due to all this since they had ambiguity about their due rights under the current circumstances. Many were seen sleeping at the airports while waiting for their flights to be rescheduled and anxiety boiled up among several of them as all they had to do was wait. The reason being they were unaware of their rights and did not exactly know of how the airline was supposed to treat and handle them.
According to EU rules, if you are one of the passengers whose flight is heavily delayed or cancelled due to an extraordinary situation like this one then;
- The airline is supposed to give you a full refund for your unused ticket.
- It should provide you with an alternative flight if you are not refunded back for the ticket.
- EU based airlines must provide you with refreshments, meals, accommodation and transport between accommodation and airport if you are delayed in getting back home to UK. It should be continued till the next flight is arranged. (There is no specific time limit in providing the services.)
If your airline does not provide you with all the mentioned above facilities then it is recommended to spend the minimum you can and get receipts for all the expenditure so you can claim all the money back. The process for claiming your money will require you to write an application to the airline referencing Regulation (EC) 261/2004. Article 5, 8 and 9 clearly state the airline’s responsibilities to entitle assistance to the passengers. Do not forget to attach the receipts to the application form.
Regardless of all the above mentioned compensations/ reimbursements, you are unlikely to be reimbursed if you discard any help offered or abandon your flight or make out your own way back home. Also try not treating yourself as the airline will not be paying for the extra amount you’ve spent. So make sure you are careful about it all!
The recent eruption of the Icelandic Volcano has caused trouble to many as the ash clouds traveled their way till around Paris and beyond resulting in numerous flights being cancelled. However the flights are resuming back to operations but the situation is still not normal as around 700 flights were cancelled from Germany according to Europe’s air traffic agency.
The troubled passengers at the airports had to suffer a lot due to all this since they had ambiguity about their due rights under the current circumstances. Many were seen sleeping at the airports while waiting for their flights to be rescheduled and anxiety boiled up among several of them as all they had to do was wait. The reason being they were unaware of their rights and did not exactly know of how the airline was supposed to treat and handle them.
According to EU rules, if you are one of the passengers whose flight is heavily delayed or cancelled due to an extraordinary situation like this one then;
·The airline is supposed to give you a full refund for your unused ticket.
·It should provide you with an alternative flight if you are not refunded back for the ticket.
·EU based airlines must provide you with refreshments, meals, accommodation and transport between accommodation and airport if you are delayed in getting back home to UK. It should be continued till the next flight is arranged. (There is no specific time limit in providing the services.)
If your airline does not provide you with all the mentioned above facilities then it is recommended to spend the minimum you can and get receipts for all the expenditure so you can claim all the money back. The process for claiming your money will require you to write an application to the airline referencing Regulation (EC) 261/2004. Article 5, 8 and 9 clearly state the airline’s responsibilities to entitle assistance to the passengers. Do not forget to attach the receipts to the application form.
Regardless of all the above mentioned compensations/ reimbursements, you are unlikely to be reimbursed if you discard any help offered or abandon your flight or make out your own way back home. Also try not treating yourself as the airline will not be paying for the extra amount you’ve spent. So make sure you are careful about it all!
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