General information
You will have air passenger rights to the EU, Iceland, Norway and the UK when:
• The flight departs from an EU Member State, Iceland, Norway or the UK. The rules apply to all of the airlines from or outside the EU, but the ECC can only assist you, if the company is registered in a state of the EU, Iceland, Norway or the UK.
• The flight is from a non-EU country and is operated by a company based in the EU, Iceland, Norway or the UK.
Basic air passenger rights when a flight is cancelled
When a flight is cancelled, the airline must give you a choice between these options:
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Cancellation of travel and refund of the unused plane ticket
-
Re-routing with another flight to the final destination of the travel
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A return flight to the first point of departure at the earliest opportunity
Right to care
The airline is obliged to take care of you while you wait for the re-routing flight.
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Meals and refreshments;
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Hotel accommodation in cases a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary;
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Transport between the airport and place of accommodation and back;
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Two free-of-charge telephone calls;
If the carrier does not provide you with care, you may have to pay for them yourself - but these costs must be within reasonable limits. With such a hypothesis, keeping all receipts and other related documents is a good idea, so that you can then claim reimbursement.
You are not eligible for free meals, refreshments and accommodation if you choose the ticket price reimbursements.
What compensation may I receive for a cancelled flight?
The compensation amount for a cancelled flight depends on when you were informed of the cancellation and the flight length.
Notification time |
Airline duties |
Amount of the monetary compensation depends on the flight distance in km |
|||
Under 7 days |
Choices between: (1) Re-routing as close as possible to the original departure time; or
or (3) Reimbursement for the unused flight tickets; |
Up to 1500 km. - € 250 |
50%1 |
||
1500 - 3500 km. - € 400 |
50%1 |
||||
Over 3500 km. - € 600 |
50%1 |
||||
Between 7 and 14 days |
NO |
Up to 1500 km. - € 250 |
50%1 |
||
1500 - 3500 km. - € 400 |
50%1 |
||||
Over 3500 km. - € 600 |
50%1 |
||||
More than 14 days |
NO |
||||
1When the airline offers a re-routing, which does not exceed: 2 hours for flights up to 1500 km.; 3 hours for flights between 1500 and 3500 km; and 4 hours for every other flight. 2When you have chosen option (1) re-routing with a flight, departing no more than two hours before the scheduled time of departure and reaching their final destination less than four hours after the scheduled time of arrival. |
You are not entitled to any compensation in the following cases:
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Cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken by the airline, including bad weather, political instability, risks related to passengers' safety, or
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You have been informed of the cancellation at least 14 days before the scheduled date of departure, or
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You have been offered a flight with departure and arrival times close to the original ones
How to file a complaint?
If you have a dispute with an airline from another EU, Iceland or Norway country, you must first file a complaint with the carrier. He has 6 to 8 weeks to answer you.
If your flight is part of a package, first you need to contact your tour operator. If you are unsatisfied with the answer, you may file a complaint within the ECC centre network ECC-Net. We will get in touch with the airline and through negotiations, we will try to find a voluntary solution to the problem.
To assist us in handling your complaint, please enclose to it every necessary document – a copy of your ticket, receipts, and written correspondence with the airline.
Our ECC network strives to resolve the complaints within 70 days of submitting all documents and accepting the case.
Useful links:
List of addresses for direct complaints to the airline
List with the National Enforcement Bodies
NEB “Directorate General, Civil Aviation Administration“