Your Rights Regarding Flight Cancellations and Rebooking of Plane Tickets
If your flight is canceled or delayed, you may be entitled to compensation of up to 600 EUR, depending on the distance of your journey. However, if the airline has provided notice of the cancellation at least 14 days before the departure, you are not eligible for compensation. There is no time limit concerning your right to be rebooked, so if your flight is canceled, you always have the right to a rebooking. In case of a flight cancellation, the airline must offer you another departure as close as possible to the original one. You also have the option to choose a later departure. Remember, you have three options:
Your options if your flight is canceled:
- Request a refund of your flight ticket.
- Ask the airline for a rebooking to another departure as close as possible to the original one.
- Request a later departure at your convenience.
Two Common Issues:
Generally, two issues arise concerning rebooking. Either the airline will not or cannot rebook you, or you receive a rebooking that you are dissatisfied with.
If the airline does not rebook you, you can purchase a new flight ticket or alternative transportation at the airline's expense, such as train or rental car. However, it's crucial to have contacted or attempted to contact the airline before buying a new flight ticket. Additionally, the extra expenses should be reasonable. A first-class ticket is not considered a reasonable necessity that the airline must cover.
Unsatisfactory Rebooking:
In the case of the airline rebooking you for a departure that is significantly later, the next day, or even two days later, or if they rebook you for an earlier departure, you have the right to demand a rebooking as close as possible to the original departure. This means you can request the airline to provide a new rebooking that is closer to your original departure.
Of course, this is relying on the availability of another departure. If you find a flight that is closer to your original departure on your own, you can ask the airline to rebook you onto that flight. If they refuse, you can purchase the ticket yourself and request a refund later in accordance with the law.
It's important to note that you must have contacted or attempted to contact the airline regarding the rebooking and informed them of your desire for an alternative flight before purchasing a new flight ticket.
Documentation:
If you choose to purchase a new flight ticket, it may be required in a legal context that you have written evidence or phone logs showing that you attempted to contact the airline for rebooking to ensure that they reimburse your expenses.
If you need to stay at a hotel due to the rebooking, you may have the right to meals at the airline's expense. In this case, it is crucial to keep all receipts to document the expenses associated with the rebooking. At Flyhjælp, we recommend taking screenshots and saving receipts for all forms of payments and contact with the airline, including screenshots of phone logs, emails, messenger or chat conversations.
Have you experienced one of the above situations? You may be entitled to compensation.
Click here to start your case.
