Originally Posted by
edi_local
Why do these regulations only apply to airlines?
Why, if I am taking the train from, say, London to Brussels and I am delayed 4 hours due to a fault of the channel tunnel or eurostar am I not entitled to get €250 from them, or indeed anything, not even a refreshment voucher?
If I was delayed for 4 hours in BRU or LHR then I'd get a refreshment voucher and a would be entitled to make a claim of such amounts (even if I only paid around €70 for the ticket, for example).
I do think these regulations seem be a bit unbalanced. People getting paid hundreds of Euros when they may not have even spent anywhere near that amount on the original ticket. These seem to have been thought up by people who wish to see airlines consigned to the history books.
They don't. Under
Regulation (EC) No 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations you are entitled to 50% of your fare in compensation:
Article 16
Reimbursement and re-routing
Where it is reasonably to be expected that the delay in the arrival at the final destination under the transport contract will be more than 60 minutes, the passenger shall immediately have the choice between:
(a) reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket, under the conditions by which it was paid, for the part or parts of his or her journey not made and for the part or parts already made if the journey is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger’s original travel plan, together with, when relevant, a return service to the first point of departure at the earliest opportunity. The payment of the reimbursement shall be made under the same conditions as the payment for compensation referred to in Article 17; or
(b) continuation or re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at the earliest opportunity; or
(c) continuation or re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at a later date at the passenger’s convenience.
Article 17
Compensation of the ticket price
1. Without losing the right of transport, a passenger may request compensation for delays from the railway undertaking if he or she is facing a delay between the places of departure and destination stated on the ticket for which the ticket has not been reimbursed in accordance with Article 16. The minimum compensations for delays shall be as follows:
(a) 25 % of the ticket price for a delay of 60 to 119 minutes,
(b) 50 % of the ticket price for a delay of 120 minutes or more.
Passengers who hold a travel pass or season ticket and who encounter recurrent delays or cancellations during its period of validity may request adequate compensation in accordance with the railway undertaking’s compensation arrangements. These arrangements shall state the criteria for determining delay and for the calculation of the compensation.
Compensation for delay shall be calculated in relation to the price which the passenger actually paid for the delayed service.
Where the transport contract is for a return journey, compensation for delay on either the outward or the return leg shall be calculated in relation to half of the price paid for the ticket. In the same way the price for a delayed service under any other form of transport contract allowing travelling several subsequent legs shall be calculated in proportion to the full price.
The calculation of the period of delay shall not take into account any delay that the railway undertaking can demonstrate as having occurred outside the territories in which the Treaty establishing the European Community is applied.
2. The compensation of the ticket price shall be paid within one month after the submission of the request for compensation. The compensation may be paid in vouchers and/or other services if the terms are flexible (in particular regarding the validity period and destination). The compensation shall be paid in money at the request of the passenger.
3. The compensation of the ticket price shall not be reduced by financial transaction costs such as fees, telephone costs or stamps. Railway undertakings may introduce a minimum threshold under which payments for compensation will not be paid. This threshold shall not exceed EUR 4.
4. The passenger shall not have any right to compensation if he is informed of a delay before he buys a ticket, or if a delay due to continuation on a different service or re-routing remains below 60 minutes.