Unfortunately, not all trips go smoothly. A special place in the list of popular difficulties among travelers is a hitch with the flight. This happens not only on charter routes, but also on regular ones. What should I do if there was a flight delay, what should be done for airline passengers? What free services and compensation should they count on?
Possible causes of delays
No need to explain that the reasons can be very different. Sometimes these data may vary even among employees of the airline and the airport. To establish the cause, courts make requests to various airport services. So it could be:
- Airplane malfunctions.
- Weather.
- Delay of the ship and so on.
Trying to figure out what is appropriate for passengers with a flight delay? When the flight is delayed due to circumstances beyond the control of the airline, then it will not be possible to claim material compensation. But it should provide certain amenities in the waiting process.
This is where the first difficulties await travelers, not many of them understand their rights, for example, what is required for passengers with a flight delay of 3 hours, and it is unprofitable for airlines to offer them. Therefore, the flag is in your hands, or rather, the FAP (Federal Aviation Rules).
Carrier Obligations for Flight Hitch
The first thing that the airport / carrier must undertake in case of a delay is to inform travelers about schedule amendments and their reasons.
If information is not received by the passengers, and it is not possible to find an agent for the company, then the Rosaviation and tour operators service should be informed about the situation. The former carry out management over the airline, and the latter are responsible to travelers for the services provided, as they have concluded an agreement with the carrier.
Ticket return
If, due to the fact that your flight is behind schedule, you decide not to wait for the ship to be sent, but to travel by another airline or head home, then, accordingly, you have decided to terminate the agreement on air transportation. It is forced, respectively, you can count on compensation in the amount of 100%.
Such failures also include:
- Reconstruction of the route by the carrier.
- Off-schedule flight.
- The traveler did not send out due to lack of space in the cabin corresponding to the date and flight indicated on the boarding ticket, due to the lengthy search of the airport employee, as a result of which no prohibited items and substances were found.
- Sudden illness of a passenger or his close relative with confirmation of this fact by a medical certificate.
- Failure to provide the traveler with the class of service corresponding to the purchased ticket.
In the event of a compulsory refusal, the airline puts a note on the ticket or issues a document explaining the circumstances of this refusal.
Travel Delay Rights
So, what should passengers do with a flight delay? Even if you have to wait a short time, and about 1 hour, you still should not let the situation go by itself. Immediately after receiving information about the delay, you should go to the registration desk and require detailed explanations. You are unlikely to get an answer with such a slight delay, since the employees themselves do not know what the matter is, but the main task of the conversation is to put a stamp on the delay. In subsequent proceedings, it will become irrefutable evidence.
The reasons for the delay may be different, but each traveler must have information about what is supposed to be for passengers when the flight is delayed. The list of airline obligations includes:
- Travelers with children under 7 years old must be given a pass to the room of the mother and child.
- Saving baggage until departure.
Agree that it is much more convenient to expect a transferred flight, freeing your hands from baggage, and sitting in comfortable conditions with the kids. The list of subsequent services that are the carrier’s responsibilities depends on the length of the delay.
Delay time
Depending on the waiting time, the passenger is provided with the following services:
- So, what is required for passengers with a flight delay of 2 hours or more? The air passenger has the right to require the company to make 2 phone calls at his expense to any city in the world and send 2 SMS.
- What else is required for passengers with a flight delay of 2 hours or more? The carrier must provide them with drinks to choose from in the right amount.
- Hot meals are required for passengers with a flight delay of 5 hours or more. After that, feeding is carried out every 6 hours during the day and 8 at night.
- There was a flight delay of 6 hours, what should passengers do? After this time, all travelers should be provided with the following:
- Hotel room before departure. The lounge is provided after 8 hours of delayed flight during the day, after 6 hours - at night.
- By car to the hotel and back.
Other compensation
All voiced services should be provided to the passenger absolutely free of charge. There can be no excuses in this case, since the air carrier must take care of passengers under any conditions. Well, if the flight was delayed due to the organization’s fault, then she won’t be able to get out with a hot lunch and a hotel room. In addition to this, passengers are due:
- Cash payment of 3% of the ticket price, multiplied by the number of hours of delay.
- Compensation of 0.25% of the minimum wage multiplied by the number of delayed departure hours.
In the total amount for the delayed departure, the air passenger will be able to return up to 50% of the ticket price (depending on the waiting time). If the flight was never completed, then, without any doubt, the full price of the ticket will be refunded in addition to other compensations. All of these amounts are valid in the Russian territory, in the EU countries the size of payments is much higher. Depending on the departure time and distance, the air passenger who received a message from the carrier about the cancellation of the flight in less than 2 weeks, can hope for compensation in the amount of 600 euros.
Important information
If the flight is delayed for 14 hours, what should passengers do? With such a long flight delay, you should not wait long before the air carrier pays for food and hotel. You can do everything yourself, the main thing is to save all payment documents (receipts, checks, etc.), since all the money spent will then be returned, but, however, this will be done through the court.
Not sure what passengers are entitled to with a flight delay of 5 hours or more? And what if docking was supposed? Do not worry about transplants. If you have planned a connecting flight, the carrier will in any case have to secure a seat in another plane next to your destination. You do not have to pay a penny for a ticket, even if you are placed in a business class. But if you have purchased a ticket to the business class, and there are free seats in the economy, then you must insist on the return of the difference without fail!
The flight delay time is calculated based on the data indicated on the boarding ticket. At the discretion of the carrier, additional services may be provided for the duration of the delay, but they do not cancel the mandatory.
How to deal with a delayed charter flight
If you are going to make a complaint, you will certainly need a certificate of delay / cancellation of the flight. On the boarding pass by hand, the present time of departure should be indicated and a stamp should be put.
If you do not provide the required services while waiting for the flight, purchase them yourself, but be sure to keep all the checks. Upon arrival, present them to the tour operator, his task is to deal with the charter carrier and claim compensation.
What you need to know about charter flight delays
Air carriers of scheduled and charter flights share different types of responsibilities. In the latter case, all responsibility lies with the tour operator who chartered the vessel, and not with the carrier itself.
If there was a flight delay, what should passengers do? The law states that, regardless of the reasons for changing the schedule, the carrier is obliged to provide the passenger with the necessary services specified above.
The main thing that needs to be done is to get a stamp at the check-in counter about the delay in departure. If it is, then you can return your own funds that could have been spent due to the fact that the carrier did not provide the necessary services or did so in violation of the established time frame.
Disassembly with reimbursement of funds may reach the court, but most often this does not happen, all claims are considered in pre-trial order. You can apply for a compensation payment within 6 months from the date of the flight, the carrier / tour operator must consider it within 30 days.
Compensation payments for flight delays in Russian territory
The obligations of air carriers and the rights of travelers regarding compensation for changes in the departure time of a ship of a Russian carrier or a foreign organization that delayed a flight in Russia are regulated by the Air Code of the Russian Federation.
To receive payment for a change in departure, it is required to put a stamp on the registration desk and still receive the appropriate certificate from the airline representative. Claims are accepted within six months from the time of flight delay.
The claim must be accompanied by a plane ticket with a stamp and a certificate confirming this fact. In addition, if you paid for the services yourself, all payment documents must be attached (checks for food, hotel, transportation, etc. during the delay period). The claim must be sent by registered mail with the inventory by mail or delivered personally to the agents of the airline. Make a copy of the letter for yourself. If the request will be handed personally to the representative, then do not forget to take a receipt from him. An answer should be expected within a month from the date of departure.
If the flight is delayed by a European airline or in the EU
If the flight schedule of an airline registered in the EU or at an airport in an EU country has changed, then what is required for passengers with a flight delay of 3 hours, for example? In this case, passengers are paid compensation, which can only be refused for several reasons:
- Act of terrorism.
- Synoptic conditions.
- Strike.
- Sabotage.
Atmospheric conditions are considered a reason for refusal only if all flights departing from this airport have been delayed.
In order to receive compensation, it is necessary to study the rules, and if your situation fits the provisions described there, then you can safely write a claim statement in the name of the air carrier. Send a letter and expect a response. If the carrier refuses to reimburse compensation, you can send a letter to the consumer protection society of the country from which the departure took place. If there is a refusal, then file a lawsuit in a court of the same country.
The amount paid will depend on the length of the delay, as well as the distance between the departure and arrival airports.
Another way
The second way to get compensation is to seek help from Compensair, which takes all the paperwork to recover payments from the air carrier, from the initial application to pre-trial work with local consumer protection authorities in the EU countries and litigation. By the way, you can check the possibility of receiving a compensation payment from a specific delayed flight on their website for free.
For the work done, the service withholds the fee only if the result is positive. You don’t have to pay anything, Compensair will transfer the amount to you already minus the commission, usually its size is 25%.
