If the flight is delayed by more than 2. What should you do if your flight is delayed? Flight delay: what passengers are entitled to

Many of us use air travel. Some are traveling, and some are on work matters. And flights are often delayed. The reasons for the delay may be: bad weather conditions, technical problems on the plane, heavy load of the airport airspace, internal problems of the airline and much more. But what to do if your flight is delayed?

What the airline must provide:

1. Regardless of how long the flight is delayed, all passengers with small children (under 7 years old) must be provided with a mother and child room;

2. If your flight is delayed by 2 hours or more, you are entitled to two phone calls or emails. In addition, the airline must provide all passengers with soft drinks;

3. If the flight is delayed for more than 4 hours, the carrier is obliged to provide everyone with hot meals. The airline must provide meals every six hours during the day and every eight at night. As a rule, passengers are given food vouchers for one of the airport's restaurants or cafes;

4. If the plane is delayed for 8 hours or more during the day (6 or more at night), the airline must accommodate its passengers in a hotel. Also, the carrier is obliged to organize transfer from the airport to the hotel and back and storage of luggage in a storage room.

Sequence of actions in case of flight delays:

1. Find an airline representative. It can be at the counter where you checked in for the flight, as well as at the airline ticket office at the airport. If you have already passed pre-flight inspection, then an employee can be found at the gate from where the plane was scheduled to depart.

2. You need to receive a note about the flight delay from the airline representative, as well as food (or drinks, or hotel) coupons, depending on how long the flight was delayed.

If you have not found an airline representative, you can check with an airport employee; to do this, contact the information desk. The mark is placed on the itinerary receipt. Stamps are also placed here for the issuance of drinks, food, etc.

Flight delays often involve additional material costs. In this case, financial compensation is provided. It will only be paid to you if the delay was due to the fault of the airline. Compensation amount is 25% from the minimum wage for each hour of delay, but not more than 50% from the ticket price.

If the aircraft does not take off on time due to weather conditions, technical malfunction of the aircraft or any other circumstances, which do not depend on the airline, then financial compensation to you not allowed.

What to do if you miss your connecting flight?

Here you need to see what ticket you have:

- 1 ticket, 1 airline - if the first flight is delayed and you miss your connection, you will fly away in any case - the only question is how soon. The airline will do everything possible to put you on the next flight;

- 1 ticket, 2 airlines - the ticket is on the same form, but the airlines are different, this means that there is a cooperation agreement between them. In a situation where airline “A” delays a flight and you miss the plane of airline “B”, the problem must be solved by airline “A”;

- 2 tickets, 1 or 2 airlines - buying tickets on two different forms - the risk of not flying increases, since formally you are not a transit passenger. This means that if you miss your connection, your ticket for the second flight will be lost, even if you are flying on the same airline. If a ticket was purchased there and back, the return ticket is also canceled, as in the case of no-show for the flight - now show. But if you have a more expensive fare, this will allow you to save your return ticket and return part of the amount for the unused one.

What to do if the plane was canceled several days in advance?

In this situation, you have the right to the following: replace tickets (draw up an alternative transportation route); return the money (if the airline has accepted responsibility).

What to do if the plane is canceled on the day of departure?

If another airline is ready to transport you, then two options are possible: free re-issuance of the ticket if the cancellation was due to the fault of the carrier; re-issuance of a ticket with an additional payment if the carrier is not at fault.

The responsibilities of air carriers are regulated by the Federal Aviation Rules “General Rules for the Air Transportation of Passengers, Baggage, Cargo and Requirements for Services for Passengers, Shippers, and Consignees,” as well as the Air Code of the Russian Federation.

To receive financial compensation upon arrival, write an application with your boarding pass and a document confirming the flight delay to the airline. In case of refusal to pay material compensation, such a dispute is subject to consideration on its merits, followed by a binding decision in the framework of civil proceedings.

It is impossible to foresee everything in the world. You can buy the best plane tickets, but at the same time you won’t be able to fly, because already in the arrival hall it turns out that the flight has been delayed. This trouble is almost always associated with a whole avalanche of related problems for the traveler, starting from where and how much money to eat during a long wait, and ending with how to still get to the desired point of arrival, since a hotel has been booked there, something important happens event, there must be a transfer to another flight, etc.

And since few of us have clairvoyant abilities, it will be useful to find out at your leisure what to do if your flight is delayed, since panic and anger in such a situation are the worst advisers. First of all, the procedure depends on how long the delay occurred.

What should a passenger do if their flight is delayed?

Even if the waiting time for a flight is short, say, 1 hour or a little more, you should not leave things to chance. You need to immediately go to the information desk after the announcement and ask the employee to give an explanation. There is usually no answer to such delays, but the main purpose of such a trip is to put a mark on the tickets about the delay. This will serve as indisputable evidence in any future proceedings.

The delay time and its reasons can be anything, but every passenger should know what to do if their flight is delayed. This list includes:

1. Providing space in the mother and child room for passengers with children under 7 years of age.
2. Baggage storage until departure.

Having freed your hands from your suitcases and settled down with your children in comfortable conditions, waiting for a delayed flight is incomparably more convenient. The carrier provides further services depending on the delay time.

If the flight is delayed by 2 hours or more, the passenger has the right to demand:

1. Opportunities to make 2 free phone calls anywhere in the world, as well as send 2 free messages via the Internet.
2. Drinks (water, tea, coffee, juices) in the required quantity.

If the flight is delayed by 4 hours and more, then the list of requirements can safely include:

1. Hot meals immediately, and then every 6 hours during the day and 8 hours at night.

If your flight is delayed by 6 hours or more, all passengers of the flight by the carrier must be provided with:

1. A place in the hotel until the moment of departure. A hotel room is provided to all flight passengers during the day after a delay of more than 8 hours, and at night after a delay of more than 6 hours. It doesn’t matter how many times delay announcements are extended at the airport, the countdown is based on the time on the tickets.
2. Transportation from the airport building to the hotel by airport transport.

Passengers have the right to receive all of the above services absolutely free of charge. However, any excuses do not matter, since the rules oblige the carrier to take care of customers under all circumstances. In cases where the flight is delayed due to the fault of the airline, then she will no longer get away with a hotel room and a hot lunch. All flight passengers are additionally entitled to:

1. 3% of the ticket price, multiplied by the number of hours of flight delay (Clause 5, Article 28 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”).
2. 0.25% of the minimum wage based on the number of hours of flight delay.

In total, due to compensation, the passenger will be able to return up to half of the cost of the air ticket (Article 120 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation). Of course, if the flight never took place, the passenger will receive the cost of the tickets back, in addition to the compensation due. All of the compensation amounts listed are valid in Russia, but in EU countries they are much higher. Proportional to the flight time and distance, a passenger who receives a flight cancellation notice from the airline less than 14 days before the departure date may receive compensation of up to 600 euros.

Important: do not wait too long if your plane flight is delayed until the carrier pays for a hotel or a hot lunch. Pay for everything yourself, but keep all payment documents: checks, receipts, since later the money will be returned, but, however, through the court.

Also, don't worry about transfers. If you had to transfer to another plane at the landing point, the carrier is obliged to provide a seat on the plane for another flight with the same point of arrival. You won’t have to pay a penny extra for a new ticket, even if you are placed in business class instead of economy. But if the ticket was originally purchased for business class, and the new one is offered only in economy, then you must demand your money back!

How to get money from the carrier if your plane flight is delayed?

To get everything spent back, you need to write a statement on your behalf to the airline and ask to reimburse all costs, as well as pay the due compensation for the delay in departure. Please attach to this application:

• checks for payment of hotel and meals;
• a certificate from the airport information desk about the flight delay;
• air ticket.

This claim does not have to be urgently sent somewhere; it can be sent to the carrier’s legal address by mail, but no later than 6 months from the date of the delayed flight. Usually such a claim is enough to get money back to your bank account specified in the letter. If there is no answer, you can safely go to court, because the law is on your side!

If you were to fly on a tour package, part of the cost of which was air tickets, then you can additionally request a refund from the tour operator for those paid days that you spent waiting for departure. You must hurry up and submit this claim to the tour operator’s office within 20 days from the date on which the signed contract for the provision of services expires.

Where to complain?

For a passenger, it matters which airline he is dealing with. Cancellations and delays of domestic flights of Russian airlines are considered under Russian law. Passenger complaints against foreign carriers who have violated their obligations to Russian travelers are also considered. It is worth noting that when going on a trip, you need not only to buy plane tickets, but also insurance for traveling abroad.

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When people go on a flight, they, of course, prepare themselves for the fact that in a few hours they will be at their destination, and there they can go about their business, relax, etc. However, unforeseen circumstances often happen in life. In this case we are talking about a plane delay due to bad weather. Practice shows that this happens quite often. How to behave if your plane flight is delayed due to weather? Let's try to figure it out.

Delayed flights make passengers very angry and upset, because it is unknown how much time they will have to spend at the airport. Moreover, their rest may be reduced not only by several hours, but also by days. Why is the plane delayed? Passengers always strive to find an answer to this question as quickly as possible.

The most common reason is bad weather conditions. If the weather forecast shows that the plane may encounter bad weather during the flight, the flight is immediately canceled until the weather improves. Everyone knows that the weather is unpredictable. It can change in a few minutes. But there are times when you have to wait several days. In such a situation, it is very important to calm down, know your rights and obligations of the air carrier that services this flight.

Flights are often canceled not because of thunderstorms or strong winds, but because of hurricanes, snowstorms and tornadoes. Modern airliners can withstand other weather conditions without problems. Sometimes it also happens that a flight is postponed due to heavy fog, which reduces visibility. As a rule, it becomes known that the flight has been delayed several hours before the required departure. That is why, even when you are at home, you can find out whether the flight is delayed. You can do this in two ways:

• Can go to the official website of the airport, where there will be a board with information about the status of all flights. There you will find yours and figure out whether it is detained or not.
• Those interested can also dial the help desk number, where they will answer questions regarding your flight.

What to do if the plane's departure is delayed before landing? Here, too, you need to calm down first, since shouting and scandals will not solve the problem. You need to know the airline's responsibilities and your rights. Let's start with the fact that women with small children under 7 years old have the following rights:

1. They can go to the mother and child room, where there are all the conditions to wait for their flight. There are changing tables, cribs, toys, a kitchen and a place for the mother to rest. In this room, mothers have the right to warm up food for their children and also put them to bed.
2. Use a stroller, which most airports provide.

All other passengers can:

• if the flight is delayed by two hours, then send several emails and also make several calls (free);
• drink cold drinks (also free);
• try hot dishes if the flight is delayed by 6 hours. Moreover, these dishes are required to be given every 6 hours completely free of charge.

Airport employees are required to inform everyone about the flight and also offer luggage storage.

As practice shows, most airports ignore the rules and agree to little for free. As for food, passengers often cannot count on anything other than a few sandwiches if they do not have money. But in such a situation, smart passengers require a written refusal, which employees are required to write. If they refuse, you can complain about them. However, since many do not know this right, airport workers become impudent, almost completely abandoning their duties.

Please note that if the flight is at night and is delayed, then all passengers must be accommodated in a hotel, which is available on the territory of any airport terminal. In this case, the airline will bear the costs. In addition, if the plane is delayed, the carrier is obliged to offer the next flight and rebook the ticket. Of course, the passenger does not have to pay for such services, since these are the responsibilities of the airline.

What should I do if the plane was delayed and I missed the next flight? This question is often asked by passengers. In this situation, you must request to contact the carrier by phone, which must be indicated on the ticket. They need to be required to explain the situation and offer a profitable way out of the current situation. You have every right to be sent on another flight that is closest. If the carrier cannot offer such an opportunity, then you have the right to demand a refund of the ticket price, as well as additional compensation.

When can you expect compensation?

If the delay led to consequences for the passenger, then he has the right to demand monetary compensation. Paid consequences include:

• loss of one or more days of rest;
• missing a connecting flight.

Compensation is also possible if you are placed in a hotel with a stranger and they refuse to move you. There is a compensation rate of 25% of the price for each hour of delay. Please note that if you are denied a monetary payment, you have the right to go to court.

In most cases, judges are on the side of passengers in such situations. However, the application must be submitted no later than 6 months after the incident. But you shouldn’t delay it like that; you need to start the proceedings immediately upon arrival. You can also include photographs or videos taken while waiting for a flight, as well as recordings from a voice recorder when you were denied monetary compensation.

In addition, passengers have the right to demand moral compensation. This is possible in cases where paid excursions or transfers are lost due to a flight delay. The amount of compensation for moral damages does not depend on the amount reimbursed for waiting for departure. It is noteworthy that in Europe even residents of other countries have the right to compensation.

You must understand that if the flight is delayed due to bad weather, but at the airport you were not denied the required lunch or hotel, then there can be no talk of any monetary payment for the damage. This is only possible when employees shirk their responsibilities towards passengers forced to wait for delayed flights.

What other reasons could a flight be delayed?

Unfavorable weather conditions are not always the reason for rescheduling a flight. Also, a delay may occur for the following reasons:

1. If the crew or board is not ready for departure.
2. If there are discrepancies in the schedule.
3. If the flight is unprofitable for the airline. This happens when the crew is 2-3 people.
4. Due to breakdowns in the aircraft itself.
5. If the airliner is not fully prepared for departure technically.

There are many other emergency situations that can happen to an airplane before departure. You need to be prepared for anything and be sure not to panic. Directly when purchasing tickets, you need to clarify all your rights and obligations as a carrier, so that in case of unforeseen circumstances you know what to demand and what to expect.

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22 June 2017, 12:36

The peak of charter delays occurs in the summer, when masses of vacationers move to warmer climes. Sitting on suitcases at the airport is one of the nightmares of our tourists. PROturizm has collected a minimum of advice on how to correctly perceive this problem.

When the unpleasant message “flight delayed” appears on the board, the main thing is not to panic. It is always advisable to have a representative (of the airline or airport) come to meet you and explain what is happening.

Reasons for charter flight delays

There are various reasons for flight delays. Sometimes the data differs between the airport and the airline. To determine the exact reason, the courts make inquiries to weather and other airport services.

• Plane non-arrival
• Airplane breakdown
• Weather (meteo) conditions

If the flight is delayed for reasons beyond the airline's control, you will not be able to receive financial compensation. But in any case, the airline is obliged to provide you with certain amenities while waiting for your flight.

This is where the first difficulties arise - it is not profitable for airlines to confess, and passengers do not know their rights. So - the flag is in our hands, or rather FAP - federal aviation regulations.

Responsibilities of the airline in case of flight delay

The first thing the air carrier (or airport) must do is inform passengers about changes in the schedule and the reasons for the changes. This is stated in paragraph 92 of the FAP (Federal Aviation Regulations).

If the airline does not notify passengers and a representative cannot be found, you can complain about charter carriers to the Federal Air Transport Agency and tour operators. The first, since they are a higher organization above the airline. The second - as those who have concluded a contract for charter transportation, they are now responsible to passengers for the services provided.

What should you do if your charter flight is delayed?

If you intend to make a claim, obtain a certificate of flight delay (cancellation). The boarding pass must indicate (by hand) the current departure time and be stamped.

If you are not provided with mandatory services while waiting for a flight, buy them yourself, keep the receipts and submit the costs for reimbursement to your tour operator, and he will deal with the charter carrier. Please note that monetary compensation can only be obtained if the carrier’s fault for the flight delay is proven. In Russia, the amount of compensation for flight delay is determined at 25% of the minimum wage for each hour of delay, but not more than 50% of the ticket price.

Passenger rights in case of flight delay

According to paragraph 99 of the above air rules, if a flight is delayed, passengers with children under 7 years of age are required to provide a room for mother and child, and for the rest, organize luggage storage.

After two hours of waiting, air passengers are entitled to soft drinks and 2 phone calls or the opportunity to send two emails at the airline's expense.

So, if a flight is delayed, the airline is obliged to provide:

• after 2 hours - soft drinks and 2 telephone or email messages,
• after 4 hours - hot food, and then every 6 hours during the day (or 8 hours at night),
• every 6 hours at night (8 hours during the day) – free hotel accommodation (and transportation to and from it).

Unfortunately, for charters, rescheduling flights for up to 10 hours is acceptable. If the airline delays the flight for a longer period, the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” comes into force. Such a flight delay is a significant change in the terms of the contract between the tourist and the tour operator. In case of “loss of a day” of rest, Rospotrebnadzor comes to the protection of the Consumer and compensation can be obtained.

What you need to know about charter flight delays

Different types of liability are shared between scheduled and charter flight carriers. In the latter case, the tour operator who chartered the plane is responsible for transportation, and not the carrier itself.

For any reason for a flight delay, the air carrier is obliged to provide the passenger with the opportunity to make a call, refreshments, hot meals, and hotel accommodation within a certain period of time.

The first thing you need to do is get a flight delay stamp from the check-in counter. Then, if you are not provided with the necessary “conveniences” in due time, you can, as a last resort, order them yourself and then present checks for payment to the airline or tour operator. Here the showdown can bring you to court, but often it doesn’t come to that, and the claims are considered by the guilty party in a pre-trial manner.

You can file a claim within six months from the date of the flight, and the airline (tour operator) must consider it within 30 days.

Consequences of flight delays

Since the beginning of the season, the tourism community has been solving problems with the postponement and cancellation of VIM-Avia flights. In the case of charters, responsibility for transporting vacationers to their vacation destination passes to the customer of the transportation, that is, the tour operator.

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What to do if your flight is delayed or your luggage goes missing

Ivan and Masha are newlyweds. There is a honeymoon trip to Paris ahead.

This is their first flight and first trip abroad. In the wedding bustle, they managed to buy tickets, but did not read anything about how to behave at the airport. This is what came out of it.

Andrey Eres

goes on business trips every month

Flight was delayed

The flight was delayed in Moscow for 7 hours. During this time, Ivan and Masha bought 2 bottles of water from the vending machine and had dinner in a cafe. It cost 1800 RUR and they wasted that money. You could get everything from the airline.

If the crew did not have time to prepare the board or there was an error in the schedule, the flight was delayed due to the fault of the airline. For this, she compensates passengers for the inconvenience with money.

If a plane doesn't take off due to bad weather, it's not the airline's fault. In this case, there is no need to demand compensation.

To receive compensation, you need to confirm your flight delay. To do this, mark the delay with airline representatives or at the information desk. It is more convenient to do this at the airport of arrival: you will not have to check the box several times if the flight is delayed again.

If you wait for a long time, you are entitled to drinks, food and accommodation for the night. Check this with airline representatives. If you are denied service, draw up a free form protocol with other passengers. Buy what you need yourself and keep the receipts - then attach them to your claim.

If you decide not to fly due to a delay, the airline will refund your ticket. Russian - for any delay, European - for a delay of more than 5 hours.

The same rules apply for a canceled flight.

How to get money for a delay

After your trip, contact the airline and ask for compensation. We will tell you exactly how to do this and how much you are owed in a separate article.

You missed your connecting flight

Ivan and Masha planned the transfer themselves and bought tickets on different airlines. From Moscow to Berlin - “Es-7”, from Berlin to Paris - “Air Berlin”. Due to the delay, they missed their next flight. They had to buy new tickets for 160 € (12,276 RUR).

The entire route must be on one ticket, even if it consists of flights from different airlines. In this case, the airline is responsible for ensuring that the passenger reaches the end of the route. If you connected your flights yourself, the airline will not reimburse the cost of the ticket.

Buy all flights in one ticket

How to get a new ticket

At the transfer point, go to the counter of the airline that delayed the first flight. Explain what happened. The airline has entered into a contract of carriage with you, which means it must deliver you to the end of the route. Airline staff will transfer you to the next plane.

If you wait more than 2 hours for the next flight, the airline must give you something to drink, feed, and take you to a hotel. Passengers' rights are the same as in case of flight delay. If service is refused, draw up a protocol and collect receipts. Then you will demand compensation.

Ivan and Masha did not have to pay for new tickets.

Baggage was damaged or lost

In Paris, Ivan and Masha did not find one suitcase on the luggage belt. Luckily, the suitcase was intended for souvenirs and purchases, so it flew empty. The newlyweds were tired of the long flight and decided not to deal with the loss. We bought a new suitcase in Paris for 30 € (2301 RUR).

If your luggage has not arrived, go to the baggage tracing department - “Lost-n-found”. A specialist will draw up a report for lost luggage and check where it is.

If your luggage was not loaded onto the plane, it will arrive on the next flight. You can return for it yourself or leave your address, then the courier will deliver the luggage.

If luggage was sent to another airport or lost, the airline must find it and deliver it to the passenger. 21 days are allotted for the search. After this period, the baggage is considered lost and the airline must pay compensation for it.

If you arrived from abroad, fill out a declaration for missing luggage at customs. Give a copy to the airline representative. This is how the airline will deliver your luggage to your home. Otherwise - only to the airport of arrival in Russia, and upon receipt you will have to pay customs duty - 4 € (306 RUR) per kg.

How to get money for lost luggage

Notify airline representatives if essential items such as money, warm clothes, medicine or baby food are left in lost luggage. Usually the airline meets halfway and pays for the purchase of these items and transfer to the hotel. In some cases, they can give cash, but not more than $100 (6689 RUR).

To receive compensation, fill out an application on the airline's website. If there is no such form on the website, make a free-form claim and give it to an airline representative or send it by mail. Please include a lost baggage report, boarding pass and baggage tag with your claim.

For lost luggage, the Russian airline pays 600 rubles per 1 kg of luggage on domestic flights, and 20 $ (1337 RUR) on external flights. European - about 1200 € (92,070 RUR) per bag.

If the bag is damaged, the airline will pay for repairs or the cost of the bag. To do this, they will ask for a receipt from a workshop or store, so keep your receipts. Claims for damaged luggage must be submitted within seven days of arrival.

For lost luggage, Ivan and Masha could receive 1200 € - or 92070 RUR.

How insurance can help

Add the “Trip Cancellation” option to your insurance policy. Then the insurance company will compensate for the fine for returning a ticket, hotel reservation or burned-out voucher.

Some insurance companies will compensate for flight delay costs. Some return money for meals, telephone calls and hotels. Others pay for the delay time. For example, “Consent” pays 25 € (1918 RUR) for each hour after 6 hours of delay, but not more than 300 € (23 017 RUR). This insurance is more profitable: food and hotel will be provided to passengers by the airline.

Conditions for flight delay insurance on the Soglasiya website

For 7 hours of waiting, Ivan and Masha could receive 25 € - or 1918 RUR - from insurance.

The additional option “Insurance against lost luggage” will help compensate for the cost of a missing suitcase: the insurance company will pay a fixed amount for each kilogram or for the suitcase as a whole. Some insurance companies will cover expenses for essential items. For example, Tinkoff Insurance pays 40 € (3069 RUR) per kilogram of luggage and 50 € (3836 RUR) for emergency needs.

Sometimes insurance companies reduce the amount of compensation: they deduct the money paid to the tourist by the airline. Check the rules in the insurance contract.

For a lost bag weighing 5 kg, Ivan and Masha could receive 200 € from insurance - about 15,345 RUR.

Remember

1. Connecting flights must be on the same ticket.
2. If your flight is delayed, find out why.
3. After a two-hour delay, ask the airline when food and drinks will be available.
4. Keep receipts for food and hotel if the airline refuses assistance.
5. Check the flight delay box at your arrival airport.
6. File a report for lost luggage at the Lost and Found department.
7. Include additional options for flight delays and lost luggage in your insurance.