Consumer Rights Regarding Flight Delays and Cancellations
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Flight delays can be a nightmare – waiting for hours on end in an airport with little means of entertainment can be extremely frustrating and leave you feeling jaded when you eventually arrive at your destination. Significantly delayed flights can also be very costly as they can eat into valuable holiday time. If a flight is cancelled outright then you will be even more inconvenienced – it might cause you to miss a once in a lifetime event like a wedding, something which no sum of money can make up for.
In recent times there has been a dramatic rise in the number of air travel customers suffering at the hands of delays and cancellations, mainly due to two high-profile cases. Thousands of people have lost out due to the positively gargantuan delays caused by expulsions of volcanic ash from an Icelandic volcano in the first half of 2010, when hundreds of tourists and businessmen ended up stranded abroad. More people’s travel arrangements were ruined by the ongoing strikes by British Airways’ cabin crew.
If you have been the victim of a cancellation or a considerable flight delay then you may be eligible for compensation under EU law. In the last decade EU legislation has been brought in that enables disgruntled airline passengers to claim compensation, but only if the delay or cancellation is the fault of the airline. If the airline can claim that “exceptional circumstances” were to blame, they may be exonerated. The problem with this, however, is that this is open to interpretation and it is not always clear what qualifies as exceptional circumstances.
But if the airline is indeed found to be culpable then they are obliged by law to compensate the customer, whether it be by way of a refund, meeting the cost of the inconvenience to the customer, or a compensation sum. In cases where compensation is won, the amount paid out is dependent on both the distance of the destination and the amount of time after the original arrival time that the flight ultimately arrived. The further the flight and the longer the delay, the greater the compensation amount.
In the case of delays, airlines are compelled to provide meals, drinks, phone calls, text messages, etc for free in most cases where the delay is more than 2 hours. If, however, the delay comes to 5 hours or more, the customer has options. A full refund of the ticket can be taken, or alternatively the traveller can be re-routed to his or her destination for no extra charge, either at the earliest opportunity or at a later preferred time. It is important to stress that this decision is the choice of the customer, and the airline has no right either to make the decision for them, nor attempt to sway them towards either option.
The one scenario in which you can claim compensation after a delay is if you are denied boarding after a 5-hour or more delay. Damages paid out by airlines in these cases can be as much as €600.
In the event of a cancellation the chances of financial compensation are much greater. After a cancellation a customer is entitled to the usual refund and alternative transport, but if the flight is cancelled within 14 days of the departure date, and the airline fails to deliver adequate re-routing services, the compensation sums stipulated by EU law range from €125 for shorter flights to western European destinations to €600 for flights to more far-flung locations. The compensation will also vary depending on how much of a delay you incur in eventually reaching you destination by other means. Unfortunately BA are exempt from paying compensation to victims of their worker strike, as this is categorized as extraordinary circumstances, but anyone who missed out due to the strike should still pursue a refund.
The recent disruption caused by the volcanic ash has been very expensive for airlines, as those stranded abroad are entitled to full refunds and free provisions of meals and accommodation while they wait for another flight, on the proviso that either the starting point or destination lies within the EU. This has been of massive cost to the airline due to the sheer volume of sequestered passengers. Low cost airlines were hit particularly hard – Ryanair reported that the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano had cost them 50 million euros.
If you were affected by the volcanic ash episodes and have not already claimed your refund, then the Air Transport Users Council offers advice. British Airways has said that it is still snowed under with claims relating to the volcanic ash cloud that it does not have the manpower to process, so the process may not be the quickest. Nevertheless, you should not let this deter you from claiming what is rightfully yours.
When seeking to claim compensation after a delayed or cancelled flight, the first step should be to write to the airline responsible, giving them all the details of what happened and what compensation you believe you are entitled to. Before doing so it would be wise to consult the EU Regulation 261/2004 (which can be found on the Civil Aviation Authority website), which handles flight compensation cases, to ascertain exactly what you are legally entitled to and also to check the airline’s website for any information on policy regarding complaints. Ideally the airline will comply and cough up, but large organizations can be bullish when it comes to parting with their money.
If you are unsuccessful in getting compensation directly from the airline then you can try contacting the Air Transport Users Council, providing your flight did not depart from a non-EU nation. If you write to them with all the details of your unsatisfactory travel experience along with all the pertinent correspondence with the airline then they will further your case.
Even if the AUC are unsuccessful with your case, you have not yet come to the end of the road. You should still be able to take your case to a County Court and issue a claim under the Small Claims procedures. For more guidance on the Small Claims Court, seek legal advice.
If, after trying all of these things, you have not been successful, there is one more option if you purchased your ticket (even if only partially) with a credit card, and the price of the ticket was £100 or more. Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act of 1974 there is a possibility that you can claim compensation from your credit card provider. Section 75 is a little-known law whereby the cost of faulty expensive products purchased using a credit card can be reclaimed.
If you have exhausted all your options and are still without compensation then you can still show your contempt for the airline by way of a good old-fashioned boycott. If all disgruntled customers withdrew their custom from companies that have mistreated them, they would be forced to invest more time in customer care.
All in all, it is absolutely worthwhile to try, and if you have genuinely suffered then you should stand a good chance of success.
Stephen G Hunt
Web Development & Digital Marketing Team
Claims Financial Ltd
http://www.claimsfinancial.co.uk/
Claims Financial Ltd is a company incorporated in England and Wales, company number 06205456 and regulated by the Department of Justice in respect of regulated claims management activities; its registration is recorded on the website http://www.claimsregulation.gov.uk
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_G_Hunt
The air route that connects Delhi with Mumbai is probably the busiest air transportation route in India. The sole sector generating the greatest amounts of revenue each day is the Delhi Mumbai air route. With the growing population of higher disposable incomes, the demand for airline tickets connecting Delhi and Mumbai is constantly rising. Direct trade related travel and tourism has also opened floodgates for the demand of air tickets between Delhi and Mumbai. To tap this huge potential, a number of carriers have entered into the market that caters to the huge number of people. In addition, many online portals too have stepped in for booking tickets for Delhi Mumbai flights.
These portals are helpful for the passengers to check the flight schedules, airfares and the number of flights each day between Delhi and Mumbai. Booking a ticket through these web portals is now just a click away. In addition, online comparison of airfares is also simple through these websites.
Mumbai and Delhi are two of the most populated and crowded metro cities in India. Delhi, the capital city of India is a hub of many National and International businesses’ headquarters. Mumbai, on the other hand is called the financial capital of India. Numerous trades are carried on between these two major cities in addition to normal travelers and tourists. The two busy cities are well connected with each other via a number of flights, low cost or expensive, on a daily basis.
Finding economical airfares is now a common thing, with growing number of low cost carriers (LCCs) plying between major cities within domestic boundaries. With smaller aircrafts and budget tickets, these carriers are offering cheap deals yet contemporary flying experience with latest technologies. A distance of about 1407 kilometers is easily covered by these airlines in just about two hours for a fare that is almost equal to the train fare but the time taken by a train to cover the same distance is about 14 hours. This time and cost saving factors joined together by the low cost airlines with abundance of choice for the flyers has made flying experience in India in reach for a common man.
The best deals on Delhi air tickets can be grabbed via one of the many popular web portals offering various services online, including reservation of tickets, flight schedules, discount schemes, cash back offers, limited free ticket contests or last minute discounts. These web portals are helpful in comparing the prices offered by different airlines for the same route. This means, online ticket booking holds a number of surprises for the flyer topped up with convenience and quick service due to the internet advantage.
Mumbai air tickets are now cheaper and offer more advantages to the flyers because of the various cheap airlines. Scheduled at strategic times during the peak hours, these budget airlines give a fair competition to full-service airlines. On a good note, the dynamic fares, comfort and safety offered by these low cost carriers has increased the competition substantially.
Check flight status, avail air coupons or the best air ticket deals on Delhi Mumbai flights with the only five star airline in India.
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R_Govindan
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Posted on: Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 12:05 pm 
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