The canceled flight, lost or damaged baggage, delay – these are the most frequent cases when passengers turn to the Consumer Rights Protection Center. But in the course of the settlement of relations with airlines, many questions remain unanswered.
For example, a newspaper was contacted by a passenger whose flight was canceled in May. He was provided with accommodation in the hotel and another flight was organized, but the passenger did not understand how the technical defect of the aircraft could be defined as “force majeure” or force majeure circumstance. The reason for canceling a flight is important to determine whether passengers can claim compensation.
EU Regulation 261/2004 provides that in cases when the flight is delayed more than three hours and the cancellation is announced less than 14 hours before the flight or when the number of tickets sold exceeds number of seats on the plane, the passenger has the right to demand compensation in the amount of 250 to 600 euros. This regulation applies to all flights to the EU.
