EU Commission Reminds Passengers Of Their Travel Rights Amid Flight Delays and Cancellations

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The European Union Commission has reminded all passengers of their travel rights amid numerous flight delays and cancellations recently.

The Commission pointed out that everyone traveling in the EU has certain passenger rights that must be followed and advised everyone going on holiday as soon as possible to download the ‘Your Passenger Rights’ app, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Your Europe, an official European Union website, explains that EU air passenger rights apply to the cases listed below:

  • If a flight is within the EU and operated by an EU or non-EU airline
  • If a flight arrives in the EU from a third country and is operated by an EU airline
  • If a flight departs from the EU to a non-EU country and is operated by an EU or non-EU airline
  • If passengers have not yet received benefits for problems associated with flights for this journey under the relevant law of a non -EU country

According to Your Europe, passengers have the right to choose between reimbursement, re-routing, or return if their flight is canceled. In addition, passengers whose flight is canceled are also entitled to assistance at the airport.

Passengers notified of the cancellation less than 14 days before the scheduled departure date are entitled to compensation.

However, compensation shall not be payable if the carrier can prove that the flight cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all necessary steps had been taken.

“The air carrier must provide this evidence to the relevant national enforcement body as well as to the passengers concerned in accordance with national document access provisions,” Your records in Europe.

Similarly, if a flight is delayed in departure, passengers are entitled to assistance, reimbursement, and a return flight, depending on the duration of the delay and the distance of the flight. Passengers who arrive at their final destination with a delay of more than three hours are entitled to compensation unless the delay is due to unusual circumstances.

Non-boarded passengers, as well as those who have overbooked the flight, also enjoy travel rights. These groups of passengers are entitled to compensation, the right to choose between reimbursement, re-routing, or rebooking to the next stage, and assistance.

Your Europe emphasizes that those who have upgraded or downgraded the flight, those who missed their connecting flight due to delays, as well as those whose lost, damaged, or delayed baggage are also entitled to reimbursement and compensation.

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