When we travel by plane nobody guarantees the success of our getaway. We never know what surprises we can find before or after arriving at our destination. When our transport is the plane, not everything depends on our decisions and desire to travel, but some issues are beyond our control. It is probable that our suitcase is lost, that we are denied boarding or that even our flight is delayed or canceled.
Since 2004, of Regulation (EC) No. 261/the European Parliament and of the Council guarantees the basic rights of all air passengers. This European Union legislation applies to passengers leaving airports located in the territory of a Member State and all those arriving at these airports from a third country when the flight is operated by an EU company. But what rights do these rules give us compared to airlines? To know them or to have clear where to inform us about them should be among our plans before traveling so that, in case we have any incident, we will not be caught by surprise. Below we show you the most common contingencies and what are the regulations that you can accept and which airlines must comply with.
Loss or deterioration of luggage
Baggage problems are regulated in the same way, whether you are traveling within the European Union or an international flight, since all the countries that signed the Montreal Convention are covered. In case of problems with your luggage, the airline must take care of them while they are in your custody. This means that:
In total you can claim up to 1,131 special drawing rights (SDRs) per passenger. But in order to claim rights for an incident with baggage, it is necessary to previously fill in the Baggage Irregularity Part (PIR) to record the incident, because if it is not processed it is presumed that the baggage has been delivered correctly and in good condition . Although you have different deadlines to do so, we recommend that you do so before leaving the airport.
Denied boarding
The denial of boarding is the refusal to transport a passenger on a flight, despite having submitted to boarding in compliance with the requirements, unless there are reasonable grounds for such denial. Normally this problem is caused by overbooking, that is, it occurs when the airline sells more seats than the plane has capacity. If you are denied boarding against your will, the rights that assist you are:
Flight delay
If the incident you have is due to a delay in your flight, your options vary depending on where you are. That is, if it is delayed in the departure or arrival. In the case of departure, you have the right to information, assistance and compensation in similar terms to the denial of boarding (food, drink, communication, accommodation and transportation if you have to sleep outside during the delay). This right is given under the following conditions:
If your flight has been delayed more than five hours, you are also entitled to a refund of the ticket amount.
If instead your delay occurs at the time of arrival, as long as you are at the final destination three or more hours after the time scheduled by the airline, you may be entitled to compensation identical to that which would correspond to you. denial of shipment case.
Flight cancellation
If you cancel the flight for which you bought a ticket, the rights that you can accept are similar to those of denied boarding. You have the right to receive information, assistance and to be reimbursed for the cost of the ticket or offered an alternative transport. All this is valid, unless you have been informed of the cancellation 14 days before the scheduled flight or that, with the modification of the route, you have arrived near the initially scheduled time. Neither can we accept these rights if the airline can prove that the cancellation was caused by other circumstances, such as bad weather, security risks or unexpected deficiencies in flight safety.
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, some issues of our trips are beyond our control. In case of any unforeseen event that may arise, it is important that you obtain detailed information about the incident and that you keep your boarding pass and any useful documents in the future (such as luggage storage or receipts of possible expenses). Meanwhile, at WePark we will put all the facilities in our hands so that everything goes according to plan.
