Helping air passengers whose journeys are disrupted

Travelling by plane can be stressful for many people, especially when their journey is disrupted. But airlines now have to look after passengers and arrange alternative means of transport for them when their journeys are disrupted, thanks to EU rules, and when the airline is at fault they may also have to pay compensation to affected passengers.

Know your rights - before you fly
© stock.xchng

For most people, air travel is far from their everyday routine. When their flight is delayed or cancelled – perhaps leaving them in a foreign country where they don’t speak the language, with few alternative routes home – they need assistance to minimise inconvenience and to rearrange their travel plans to continue their journey, with as little disruption as possible. To ensure they get the help they need, European countries have agreed rules on air passengers’ rights. These rules apply to all airlines – scheduled, charter, full-service or no-frills – and to all flights departing from airports in the EU, and to those arriving within the Union, operated by airlines registered in the EU.

Automatic help

Passengers who find their flight has been delayed by more than a few hours, cancelled completely without prior notice, or who have been denied boarding because the airline has too many passengers for the seats available must be given immediate assistance by the airline. It is the airline’s responsibility to organise alternative travel arrangements to get the passenger to their final destination (or back to where they started when there is no point in continuing the journey), unless the passenger chooses not to travel and to have their full fare reimbursed. And depending on the length of delay, the airline has to provide food and refreshments, communication facilities and – if the delay is overnight – accommodation.

Immediate assistance must be provided to passengers whatever the cause of the delay, whether the problem is within the airline’s control or not. In certain circumstances where the airline is responsible for the journey being disrupted – in particular when a passenger is denied boarding – the airline must also pay compensation to the passenger.