words Al Woods
It has to be one of the most frustrating situations that you can ever find yourself in. You’re off on a trip abroad and are trying to remember all the things you have to remember. Is your passport in date, have you brought everything you need or do you need a dash to the shops to buy something you suddenly decide is essential? You’re glancing at the flight board – next to your flight see the dreaded word ‘Cancelled’.
There can’t be anything worse than seeing that word next to your flight. Alternatively, you could be about to embark on a flight to attend a crucial business meeting. Maybe the deal could fall through that costs your business investment.
What many people don’t realise though is that you could well be entitled to compensation for a cancelled flight. It can be a traumatic experience and can have lots of knock on effects so it’s important that people understand this and how to go about it.
According to the EU Passenger Rights Regulations if your flight is cancelled when you’re at the airport without prior notice you will have a good case for being awarded compensation. This will apply to all flights leaving from an EU airport whether the airline is from an EU or non-EU country. These regulations also apply to flights to an EU airport from an airport outside the EU. These fights though must be run by an airline from an EU member state.
Airlines should also let passengers know about cancellation and also provide alternative flights if there is enough advance warning so passengers can still enjoy their holiday or business trip. And if the airline does not comply with these rules then, again, compensation can be sought by the customer.
The amount of compensation varies according to the length of journey so you could be entitled to 250 to 600 euros. Of course, compensation is never enough to replace the lost time and inconvenience but at least it’s something and the airlines should be held accountable. If you ever have experienced flight cancellation or delay, visit MYFLYRIGHT and check if you are entitled to compensation.
