Has your flight been cancelled? How to claim compensation

Because of my profession as a journalist and, above all, because of my passion as a traveler, I have had to fly many, many times throughout my life, and I recognize that in this regard I have been very fortunate, as I have hardly had any incidents.

Apart from the loss of luggage a few times and some big ones delays in plane departure, I have only suffered on a couple of occasions Overbooking and cancellation of a flight.

But in case it happens to you, when flying you must be clear about your rights as a flight passenger, and very important, how to claim them.

The massive cancellation of flights that we have suffered in recent times, specifically due to the coronavirus crisis, may mean that you are one of those affected by this unpleasant incident.

What to do if my flight has been canceled

Given these circumstances,what to do if your flight has been canceled? what if you have a delay of several hours? what are your rights?.

The truth is that I would bet that the vast majority of those affected by these incidents are not clear about what their rights are, as happened to me when I had the only flight cancellation I have ever suffered.

What are my rights for canceling a flight?

In case this happens to you on a future trip, it is important that you know What are your rights as a passenger in the event of a flight cancellation?.

La European Union It has established regulations since 2004, which are mandatory, not only for all airlines from member countries, but for all those operating in European territory.

This regulation establishes the air passenger rights for the different circumstances that may arise, such as loss of suitcases, flight delays and, of course, in case of cancellation.

Below I will detail your rights if your flight is canceled:

Right to information in case of flight cancellation

First of all, you have the Right to information, which implies that they provide you with an information brochure detailing your rights as a passenger, especially in terms of assistance and compensation.

Additionally, next to the check-in counter, the airline must have a sign that warns you that you have certain rights as a passenger.

In the case of my canceled flight, indeed next to the counters there was a sign warning of these rights and some brochures that in a very summary way reminded you of the most basic ones, as well as an international telephone number and a website where you can find information.

Refund of the ticket amount due to flight cancellation

If they give you several days' notice, you have three options.

On one hand, the right to refund of the ticket price, total or partial, to be collected in seven days; a alternate flight on the same day of cancellation and under similar conditions; or an alternative flight on a later day that suits you.

Assistance at the airport after flight cancellation

When the notification of the cancellation occurs at the same airport, you have right to care.

This means that they must give you free food and soft drinks, depending on the time you have to wait at the airport, until the departure of an alternative flight offered by the company.

Likewise, they must provide you with free telephone calls, or the sending of messages by fax or email.

Right to hotel accommodation after flight cancellation

But in the case of the aforementioned cancellation of a flight that I suffered on a trip, since it was already late in the day, I had the right to have all of us passengers transferred, free of charge, to a nearby hotel so that, the next day, we could take a new flight.

That's how it happened, because on a bus they took us to a four-star hotel near the airport where they gave us, as dinner, a pack with a sandwich, a juice, an apple and a chocolate bar, and they also gave us a phone card.

The next day, we were taken by bus to the airport to catch the assigned alternative flight.

Financial compensation for flight cancellation

But in addition to what was said above, you also have right to compensation to compensate you for the inconveniences of cancellation.

More so in the event that the company does not notify you at least two weeks in advance.

How much compensation to claim for cancellation of a flight

According to the amount of financial compensation, you can consult the table that starts from a minimum of 250 euros on community flights of up to 1.500 kilometers in distance.

And arrives up to 600 euros in the case of a flight with origin or destination outside the European Union and more than 3.500 kilometers.

If the airline offers you a alternative transportation solution with similar schedule, you should still have this right of compensation, although for half the amount.

Only in very specific cases, the airline is exempt from paying you this compensation.

It would be in the case of extraordinary circumstances that must be justified; because you have been notified of the cancellation at least two weeks in advance; or because they have offered you a flight on the same route and similar time.

How to claim for flight cancellation

But here comes another problem,How to claim compensation for flight cancellation?

It is a process that you can do on your own, in which you must go to the airline that canceled your flight to claim your compensatory right.

And if you do not receive the appropriate response that satisfies you, you should contact the competent state agency, which in Spain is the State air safety agency.

Now, out of curiosity, I wonder how many travelers who suffer the cancellation of their flight make the relevant claim on their own.

And, on the other hand, do all airlines operating in Europe comply satisfactorily with the air passenger rights?

Companies claiming rights before airlines

In order to facilitate this procedure for passengers, in recent times companies have emerged that make the management of claiming your rights before airlines.

The fact is that during a year there are usually up to 10.000 incidents susceptible to complaints on flights operated in Spain, and that statistics say that only 5 percent of passengers make said complaint.

In order to carry out claims, this guy from this company file the claim on your behalf without direct cost, since it only charges you a commission (30%) for the compensation you receive if the result has been favorable.

In short, it saves us from making a administrative management which can be cumbersome and, based on their experience, with a high level of success in claims.

I hope this information is useful to you to know what to do if your flight is canceled, which I hope doesn't happen to us :)