Air passenger rights in case of canceled / delayed flights

Have you had canceled or delayed flights? Did you know that you can receive up to €600 in compensation from airlines? Very few people know this and very few passengers know their air passenger rights. But we want to come to your support and clarify this situation!

Every day, hundreds of flights operating in or from/to Europe are delayed or canceled due to various reasons, such as technical faults, staff shortages, employee strikes, etc. Thousands of passengers are affected by these problems, and most of them probably do not know their rights as air passengers. Many of them settle for a simple rerouting or a small bonus from the airline, without asking for their due monetary rights.

The rights of air passengers

If you fly on EU territory or from the EU to other non-EU destinations (regardless of whether the flight is operated by a company inside or outside the EU), you are also entitled to financial compensation of up to €600. These compensations are set according to the distance:

- 250 Euro for distance flights below 1500 km - regional and domestic flights
- 400 euros for flights between 1500-3500 km
- 600 euros for flights over distances over 3500 km (with a minimum delay of 4 hours)
- 300 euros for flights over distances over 3500 km (delayed between 3 and 4 hours)

These rights have been established by the EU faci fac part din the rights of air traffic passengers (To read). So we are not talking here about territorial laws or laws made by airlines, but about European Union directives.

In this context, the EU refers to the 28 Member States (including Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint-Martin (French Antilles), the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands), as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. . We do not refer to the Faroe Islands, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

These laws also apply to flights from / to Romania, whether we speak of liner or charter flights. If you have delayed flights at Wizz Air or other airlines, check their eligibility for compensation.

You missed the connecting flight

There are also situations where you have to take several planes to reach your final destination. If you miss a connecting flight and arrive at your final destination with a delay of more than 3 hours, you are entitled to compensation for missed connections if the connection problems are caused by the airlines. The amount of compensation is calculated according to the duration of the delay and the distance to the final destination.

You are entitled to compensation if:

  • tickets were purchased in a single booking and
  • EU air passenger rights apply and
  • Late arrival was not caused by extraordinary circumstances.

Travel from the UK to EU countries

From 1 January 2021, EU rules on the rights of passengers using air transport shall not apply in cases of refusal to board, cancellation or delay of flights from the UK to the EU if the flight is operated by a UK carrier or another non-EU carrier, even if you booked the flight before this date.

However, EU rules continue to apply after 1 January 2021 if Your flight from the UK to the EU is operated by an EU carrier, unless you have already received compensation under UK law. For example, if you have problems with TAROM flights from the UK to Romania, you may be eligible for compensation of up to €600.

It is important that you are eligible for these compensations. It is true that there are also situations when your flight is canceled or delayed and you are not eligible to receive compensation. What does it mean to NOT be eligible?

Situations when you are NOT eligible to receive compensation from airlines

  1. If you have been informed of the cancellation with at least 2 weeks before the scheduled departure time;
    2. If you have been informed of cancellation within 2 weeks and 7 days before the scheduled departure time and are offered a redirect that allows you to leave at most 2 hours before the scheduled departure time and arrive at your destination final in less than 2 hours after the expected arrival time;
    3. If you have been informed of cancellation less than 7 days before the scheduled departure time and are offered a rerouting that allows you to leave at the latest one hour before the expected departure time and arrive at your final destination in less than two hours after the scheduled arrival time;
    4. If the air carrier can prove that the cancellation is caused by exceptional circumstances, which could not be avoided, despite taking all possible measures (coups, volcanic eruptions, fires, extreme weather conditions).

So any other situation, which is not provided among those mentioned above, makes you eligible to receive compensation from the airlines. Technical problems do NOT qualify as "exceptional circumstances", even if the airline operator tries to explain to you otherwise. If there are technical problems with the plane, then clearly you are eligible. We are talking about unexpected technical problems on the plane.

Very-very important!

  1. Requests can be made for flights operated up to 3 years ago, so they don't necessarily have to be recent flights. If you have faced such problems in the last 3 years, check if you are eligible and apply for compensation.
    2. They are subject to EC 261 / 2004 and Charter races. If you choose to vacation in Turkey, Greece or other "traditional" summer destinations and your charter flights are delayed as mentioned above, you are eligible to receive these compensations.

How to get this financial compensation

Now comes the important part. How can you get this money? The important thing is to have the courage to ask them :). Either ask directly from the airline or contact different specialized companies in financial compensation recoveries.

From our experiences, the airlines seek to escape the payment of these damages and invoke all kinds of third parties. It offers small bonuses in the hope that people no longer demand their money rights. Other companies make these financial compensations in the form of a bonus in the loyalty platforms and "oblige" you to spend the amounts due also on the services of the company. These practices are not exactly the right ones. You have the right to receive MONEY that you can spend as you wish.

CAREFUL!!! In case of delays longer than 3 hours, in addition to these compensation, the airlines are obliged to provide you with water and a snack. And in case of flight cancellation, the airlines are obliged to offer you accommodation until the next flight. For example: today's flight was canceled and you were delayed on a flight the next day? You are entitled to one night's accommodation. These rights are independent of financial compensation.

I had a better experience with companies specializing in recovering financial compensation. Even if you pay a commission of 20-25% of the amount, practically you as a passenger do not do much. Just fill out a form, give the company the right to represent you in front of the airline and from there the specialists will take care of it. If you are eligible, the money will be transferred to your account as soon as all the formalities have been completed and the airline has paid.

Choose the right option for you! We urge you to claim your air passenger rights. At the same time, we urge you to respect the terms and conditions set by the airlines, to obey the laws of common sense for a pleasant flight.