Do you plan to travel by plane from Alicante Airport shortly on the occasion of your holidays? Or are you already back and have you found that the journey of your dreams has become a nightmare as a result of a delay in flight?
Well, then we will review the rights that we as passengers and we will explain how you can make the corresponding claims.
When does the right to reimbursement or alternative transportation exist?
In case of overbooking or the company cancels our flight and we are not allowed to board, we have the right to choose between:
(A) transport to our final destination by comparable alternative means.
B) refund of the amount of the ticket and, where appropriate, the free return to our initial starting point.
In the case of long delays, if the flight is delayed for five hours or more, we are also entitled to a refund of the amount of the ticket (but we must bear in mind that when requesting a refund we are giving up following the trip with this company and receive Any other assistance on your part).
The airline has the obligation to inform us about our rights and to communicate the reason for denied boarding, cancellation or long delay (delays of more than 2 hours or more than 4 hours for flights of more than 3,500 km).
It may also be that we miss a return flight for delays. In this case our rights as passengers vary depending on whether all the flights that make up the trip are part of the same ticket (same contract) or if on the contrary the reservations have been made separately.
If they all belong to the same contract, we will be entitled to a new flight that will take us to our destination or a refund of the corresponding proportional part. However, if the trip with different flights has created us, with our own connections and making separate reservations (there are therefore different transport contracts), no company is obliged to take care of possible flight losses caused by previous delays.
When do we have the right to financial compensation?
In addition, denied boarding, cancellation of the flight and arrival at the final destination indicated on the ticket with a delay of more than 3 hours can give us the right to an economic compensation of between 250 and 600 EUR depending on the distance of the flight.
Below we explain what these compensations are in case the flight takes place within the European Union, or if the journey is between an airport of the European Union and another one of outside.
If it is within the EU:
– Up to 1,500 km: 250 EUR
– More than 1,500 km: 400 EUR
If it is between an EU airport and another airport outside the EU:
– Up to 1,500 km: 250 EUR
– From 1,500 to 3,500 km: 400 EUR
– More than 3,500 km: 600 EUR
When are we not entitled to financial compensation?
There are a number of assumptions in which we will receive no compensation. These are when cancellation or delay:
– It is due to extraordinary circumstances (the most common example is bad weather).
– If the company announces it to us 2 weeks before the expected date of the flight.
– If we were offered an alternative flight in the same route and similar schedule.
However, even if the cancellation of the flight is due to exceptional circumstances and we are not entitled to compensation, the company is obliged to offer us the choice between:
– The refund of the amount of the ticket (total or part not used)
– Alternative transport to the final destination point as soon as possible, or
– The possibility of delaying the trip until a date that suits you (subject to the availability of places).
Even in exceptional circumstances, airlines are required to assist us while we wait for alternative transportation.
Reimbursements and financial compensation. How to apply?
You must present a claim form from the airline or AENA to record the incident before leaving the airport. All companies have these claim forms available to the public.
In this sheet we should briefly describe the incident, detailing, in addition, date, time, place, flight number and your data. In case of being able to provide documents like proof (tickets, ticket …) must be copies, conserving the originals. If the airline does not provide us with a claim sheet we can use Aena’s, who will transfer it to the corresponding airline.
In one case or another we will keep a copy of the sheet presented, as it will serve as proof of our claim.
Subsequently, once we are outside the airport, we can also write to the customer service of the airline. The best way to do this is the one by means of which there is reliable evidence of the content of the claim. For example, by burofax.
In case the company does not take care of our claim, we have no choice but to file a lawsuit.
Tips to keep in mind when flying at Alicante Airport
Our advice is to keep all documentation that allows you to justify any damages or expenses you may have suffered. Try to save the plane ticket, and keep any advertising, brochure or bill that justifies the conditions of the trip.
The boarding pass, as well as any ticket or bill of all that we have paid as a result of the delay or loss of the flight, must also be kept. For example: restaurant tickets, phone calls, hotel bill, etc.
In case the company with which we have contracted proposes an alternative flight with an identical or similar schedule, the compensation can be reduced by half. We hope this review of the rights of air travelers has been useful to you.