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Flight Delays and Cancellations - Your rights
If you're a businessperson, avid holidaymaker, or simply if you
just spend any reasonable amount of time travelling each year then
there is a good chance that, at some point, you’re going to
experience a flight delay or a cancellation of a flight through
no fault of your own. Anything from security alerts, mechanical
problems, bad weather, or even the airline simply overbooking the
flight and bumping you off can cause serious problems if you really
need to get to your destination on time. |
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Under such circumstances airlines will generally do what they can
to accommodate your needs and get you to your destination as soon
as possible, but in most cases the airline is under no obligation
whatsoever to do anything other than get you on the first available
flight, or offer a refund, even if that flight is some days away.
So what exactly are your rights, and what can you reasonably expect
if your flight is delayed or cancelled?
Unfortunately for passengers there are no ‘standard’
regulations concerning reimbursement or actions that airlines must
take in the event of a delayed flight or cancelled flight. Indeed,
all airlines generally have watertight wording in their contracts
with passengers that limit them in terms of their liability in such
events. Knowing what your rights are when your flight is delayed
can be difficult as the accepted rules vary from airline to airline,
and from country to country.
A good place to start would be to browse the relevant aviation authority’s
web pages for the country of your carrier. For example, the U.S.
Department of Transport provides a number of useful reports, statistics,
contact information for making complaints, and other information
services to airline passengers in the U.S. There should be similar
organisations in nearly every country where you can find information
about your rights when it comes to dealing with that particular
country’s airlines. Of course, the vast majority of passengers
who experience flight delays simply want to be on their way with
as little fuss and inconvenience as possible, and certainly don’t
want to be saddled with additional financial costs such as meals
and hotel accommodation, or embroiled in disputes with the airline
over who should pay for such expenses. But if you find yourself
incurring unreasonable costs as the result of a flight delay of
which you think the airline is responsible don’t be put off
filing a complaint with the appropriate authorities to seek compensation.
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While most of the causes for flight delays or cancellations are
out of the control of the passenger and the airline itself, it’s
worth bearing in mind the ripple effect when it comes to delayed
flights and how you can increase your chances of avoiding them.
Most airlines and airports run to very exact schedules and any
flight delay normally has a knock-on, or ripple, effect to flights
coming after. Thus, statistically speaking, you are less likely
to be seriously delayed if you take flights early in the day rather
than later. Flying earlier in the day also gives you more options
in the event that your flight gets seriously delayed or cancelled.
The later in the day you book your flights, the less options you
have if something goes wrong – and you may even be forced
to stay overnight. If you really must be in another place at a
certain time, think about the ripple effect and plan accordingly.
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