Most domestic travelers have experienced and dealt with the inevitable delayed or canceled flight or the occasional lost luggage. However, the same traveler may not be familiar with consumer rights for these situations when traveling to Europe.
1
Understand your rights
The European Union extends consumer protection to airline passengers. Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 provides common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and cancellation or long delays of flights.
Rights cover all types of flight by European airlines, whether charter, regular, or domestic, departing from an EU airport (including the French overseas territories), or departing from an airport outside the EU to an EU airport, when the flight is operated by an EU airline.
2
Overbooking/Bumping/Delays
Absent extraordinary circumstances, when you have a valid ticket and arrive on time, if an airline prevents you from boarding or bumps you because it has overbooked the flight, you must receive fair treatment and proper compensation ranging from €125 and €600 depending on the flight distance and length of delay. Under Council Regulation (EC) No 295/91, the airline must offer you a choice between:
- reimbursement without penalty of the cost of the ticket for the part of the journey not made or:
- re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or;
- re-routing at a later date at your convenience.The airline must pay minimum compensation in cash..The airline should offer free of charge a telephone call, meals/refreshments and accommodation where necessary.
3
Lost Luggage
Under the Warsaw Convention you are entitled to approximately €23 per kilo up to a maximum of 23 Kilos for checked baggage whether baggage is lost, delayed or missing for more than twenty four hours. If your baggage fails to arrive at its destination, report the problem immediately to customer service and file a report .Locate the baggage labels you were given when you checked-in your luggage. Keep receipts of items purchased because of missing luggage.
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