What if your flight is cancelled or delayed?

What are your rights if your flight is delayed or cancelled? Here are our tips to deal with cancellations and how to get you back!

Voyager can be a source of trouble, even when things happen as expected. But when things go wrong, a dream trip can turn into a nightmare. On average, approximately 20% of flights are delayed by more than a quarter of an hour, while 1% of flights are cancelled. If you take the aircraft to travel, there are chances that your flight is delayed or cancelled. If this is your case, how do you manage this inconvenience, and especially, how do you repay?

How can I claim a refund for a delayed or cancelled flight?

First of all, know that if you are having trouble filing a claim yourself with the airline, you can be assisted by startups specializing in the law of air passengers, such as Indemniflight, who can make the claims with the airlines on your behalf and get a claim from the airlines on your behalf. reimbursement for flight delay . You can also find a claim letter template here to help you submit your request.

When do I get a refund?

If your flight to or from a European Union airport is delayed three hours or more, you have legal right receive the same compensation as for a cancelled flight. This also applies if you are travelling with an airline based in the EU, whether Ryanair, Air France or British Airways (it works for a Paris-New York flight with an EU-based company).

If you have been informed that your flight has been cancelled with very short notice, the airlines will normally reimburse you for the drawbacks. However, the only circumstances under which the airline is not legally required to provide a refund are those where the flight was cancelled for reasons beyond the airline’s control, such as a volcanic eruption, a strike or extreme weather conditions.

Depending on the airline you are travelling with, you can either get a full refund or an offer for a flight from another airline to your destination.

Will I be entitled to a refund if I wait for a new flight to the airport?

If you have received a new flight ticket and have to wait at the airport for more than two hours for a short-haul flight or more than four hours for a long-haul flight, you should receive good food and drink at the airport. If the delay is independent of the airline's will, you should turn to your travel insurance. Many insurances include refunds for missed, delayed or cancelled flights. This depends on the company you have subscribed to.

Who pays my food and my accommodation if I have to stay for more days?

Food and accommodation are only reimbursed by the airline if you are travelling with an EU airline or leaving from an EU airport.

Airlines not based in the EU must also host you or try to place you on another flight. However, they may not provide you with food and drinks. However, you can try to claim these costs to your travel insurance. Accommodation is provided on a case-by-case basis, depending on where you come from, where you are blocked, for how long and if you have friends or family nearby who can host you.

What do I expect from my airline if my flight is cancelled due to a strike?

If the delay in your flight is due to a strike, the airline has an obligation to provide you with assistance if the waiting time exceeds a certain point. These include refreshments and accommodation. However, they are not obliged to offer you compensation following a strike because strikes are generally considered to be part of the "extraordinary circumstances".

If I miss a match, will I be refunded?

Unfortunately, if you book two flights on different airlines and miss the second flight due to the delay or cancellation of the first flight, you will not be able to obtain a refund for the second flight. This is why booking flights with the same airline can be “beneficial”, even if it’s a little more expensive.

Main photo credit : Flickr – Mathieu Marquer