Both in the specific case where more than three hundred flights were canceled due to the strike, and in other similar cases, it is important for affected passengers to remember one rule: do not rush to get your money back for a canceled flight.
From our experience in defending the rights of airline passengers, we see that low-cost airlines very often offer passengers a refund for a canceled flight or for other reasons no longer able to take place. What passengers often do then: they buy new tickets from the same or other airlines, because they still need to travel, and those tickets are usually much more expensive. There are other inconveniences and costs due to sudden changes in plans.
Company photo/Balys Rimkus
We would like to remind passengers that this airline practice is against the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No. 261/2004, which lays down general rules for compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied carriage, flight cancellation or long delay.
The regulation stipulates that even in the event of a strike, airlines have the obligation to transport the passenger in the fastest possible way in the direction in which the flight was purchased. And not necessarily with the same airlines – alternative flights can be organized with other airlines as well. However, we find that this practice is hardly used by low-cost airlines.
Rather than arranging an alternative flight as soon as possible, airlines often offer to simply refund the passenger, but this benefits the airline and not the passenger. Low-cost airlines mention that you can change flights, but usually the closest flights on the same airline are already out of seats and you can only choose a flight after a few days or weeks.
Well, if you have to wait for the flight, the airlines have the responsibility to take care of the passengers’ accommodation, travel to the place of accommodation and back to the airport, food and drinks. If the passenger’s flight is canceled and rescheduled, for example, to another day, and as a result the passenger from another city, say, has to spend the night in a hotel, the airlines must also compensate for these costs (of course, it must not be a luxury hotel, but an economy class hotel) .
Therefore, the best thing a passenger can do if his flight was unexpectedly canceled is not to rush to get his money back, but to contact the airline and ask for an alternative flight as soon as possible and save this request. If the airlines do not offer an alternative flight as soon as possible, we would advise you to purchase the flight yourself and ask the airline that did not offer an alternative flight to reimburse you for these costs.
We always recommend saving the accommodation bill, new flight bill, reservation confirmation, and food and beverage purchase receipts. It’s also a good idea to save evidence that you’ve tried to contact the airline in case it doesn’t work out. Often, during mass disruptions, airlines are unable to serve passengers for several hours.
