EU Air Travellers will get more rights
 

... and money that is!

from dw-world.com:

Air passengers in the European Union will be able to demand up to €600 ($750) in compensation if their plane is overbooked or their flight gets cancelled, the EU council of ministers decided on Monday. The new regulations double compensation payments currently in place and are scheduled to take effect in 2005. Britain and Ireland opposed the move and Germany abstained from the vote, citing “serious legal concerns.” Under the new rules, those who have to stay behind because of overbooking will receive €600 on long-distance flights, €400 ($503) on flights up to 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles) and €250 ($315) on flights up to 1,500 kilometers. Travelers can also choose between getting re-booked on another flight or demanding their money back, and they will be entitled to a meal and an overnight stay at a hotel, if necessary. According to EU officials, about 250,000 passengers are left stranded each year because of overbooking. In case of a flight cancellation, passengers will receive similar compensation unless the airline makes an announcement two weeks ahead of departure. And those who experience a delay of more than five hours will be able to demand their money back.

7 7 7 7

That being the case, will 'No shows' forfeit the cost of their ticket just as they would if they failed to turn up for a theatre performance?

Basil

That depends on the T&Cs - as you no doubt know, many airlines allow C, J or F pax to no show without penalty, because they are premium customers.

If a C or J or F no shows and re-books, it makes commercial sense to permit this, but Y, M etc pax do not enjoy the same amount of latitude (or loco.)

This move will probably benefit the full service airlines, n'est-ce pas????

Please be kind enough to explain "If a C or J or F no shows and re-books, it makes commercial sense to permit this, but Y, M" the category letters.

thanks

What about cancellations due to weather? Any ideas?

Rocco

Interesting question, but not simple.

Last Sunday my CSA flight from Stansted to Prague at 18h30 was cancelled due to 'bad weather at Prague.'

I transferred to the 1815 easyJet flight that subsequently delivered me to Prague.

So how do you decide when 'bad weather' is a genuine reason and when it is not? If the CSA capt did not like the weather and the easyJet capt did, should CSA be penalised????

Working Hard

F = First class, C & J = Business class, Y & M = economy