Cancelled Flights Info, Please

Neadine

While on a recent trip to the US, I got texts/emails to inform me that my flight home was cancelled due to technical issues. No alternative was provided and contacting Aer Lingus was advised.
After an eternity on hold I was given a number of possible options; and some unplanned flights and airports later I made it home.
My question is about compensation that European carriers are obliged to provide passengers when flights are cancelled. Anyone know how I would go about this??

amdublin

Neadine wrote: »

While on a recent trip to the US, I got texts/emails to inform me that my flight home was cancelled due to technical issues. No alternative was provided and contacting Aer Lingus was advised.
After an eternity on hold I was given a number of possible options; and some unplanned flights and airports later I made it home.
My question is about compensation that European carriers are obliged to provide passengers when flights are cancelled. Anyone know how I would go about this??

Why are you looking for compensation?

Graham

amdublin wrote: »

Why are you looking for compensation?

Have you reason to think the OP isn't entitled to the protection of EU261? I can't tell from the limited information provided.

OP, this may be useful:

The airline is also required to pay cash compensation as described below, unless one of the following conditions applies:

the airline notifies the passengers at least two weeks prior to departure
the airline notifies the passengers between one and two weeks prior to departure, and re-routes passengers so that they can:
depart no more than two hours earlier than scheduled, and
arrive no more than four hours later than scheduled
the airline notifies the passengers less than one week prior to departure, and re-routes passengers so that they can:
depart no more than one hour earlier than scheduled, and
arrive no more than two hours later than scheduled
the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided by any reasonable measure.
The airline must also provide an explanation to passengers of alternative transport.

Compensation
If the flight distance is:

1500km or less the amount payable is €250
1500km – 3500km and all EU flights over 3500km the amount payable is €400
3500km or more the amount payable is €600.
If an airline can offer rerouting to the final destination that does not exceed:

two hours for flights of less than 1500km;
three hours for flights between 1500km and 3500km; and
four hours for flights over 3500km
the compensation will be reduced by 50%.

More information from the Aviation Regulator here: http://www.aviationreg.ie/air-passenger-rights/cancellation.209.html

amdublin

That's what I am asking. From the information they provided it seems their flight was cancelled and an alternative provided which got them home. Can they provide other information which means they are entitled to compensation.

Graham

amdublin wrote: »

That's what I am asking. From the information they provided it seems their flight was cancelled and an alternative provided which got them home. Can they provide other information which means they are entitled to compensation.

The provision of an alternative routing doesn't appear to automatically rule out compensation.

Cancellation

Cancellation with prior notice.

Under the terms of the Regulation your entitlement and compensation varies depending on when you were informed of the cancellation.

The airline must provide at least two weeks notice to avoid paying compensation and they must then........

http://www.aviationreg.ie/air-passenger-rights/cancellation.209.html

When compensation is not payable
You are not entitled to compensation if:

You have received at least 2 weeks’ notice of the cancellation; or
You have received between 2 weeks and 7 days’ notice but you have been offered an alternative flight departing no more than 2 hours before your original departure time and arriving at your final destination less than 4 hours after your original scheduled time of arrival; or
You have received less than 7 days’ notice but you have been offered an alternative flight departing no more than 1 hour before your original departure time and arriving at your final destination less than 2 hours after your original scheduled time of arrival.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/air_travel/compensation_for_overbooked_and_delayed_flights.html#lad67b

fits

I'm not sure if those compensation rules are valid in US

Graham

fits wrote: »

I'm not sure if those compensation rules are valid in US

The rights afforded by the Regulation apply to the following:

All passengers departing from EU/EEA airports.
All passengers departing from outside of the EU/EEA but arriving at an EU/EEA airport on an EU/EEA licensed carrier

Neadine

amdublin wrote: »

Why are you looking for compensation?

Because my flight was cancelled, about 3 hours before I was due to depart.
And no, an alternative was no offered, after a long time on the phone I managed to acquire an alternative route home.

LXFlyer

Neadine wrote: »

Because my flight was cancelled, about 3 hours before I was due to depart.
And no, an alternative was no offered, after a long time on the phone I managed to acquire an alternative route home.

How come no alternative was offered?

Who did you book the flight through?

Tenger

Neadine wrote: »

...I got texts/emails to inform me that my flight home was cancelled due to technical issues. No alternative was provided and contacting Aer Lingus was advised.
After an eternity on hold I was given a number of possible options; and some unplanned flights and airports later I made it home......

Neadine wrote: »

Because my flight was cancelled, about 3 hours before I was due to depart.
And no, an alternative was no offered, after a long time on the phone I managed to acquire an alternative route home.

Sounds like the aircraft had a problem, thus was unable to operate without repair/check.

Seems unusual that the airline didn't offer next day rebooking or re-routing to get to final destination.
What were the options?

JCX BXC

You won't get the EU regulatory compensation if it was a aircraft fault, they have a nice "out of airlines control" clause.

Graham

Carnacalla wrote: »

You won't get the EU regulatory compensation if it was a aircraft fault, they have a nice "out of airlines control" clause.

The airline can only claim 'extraordinary circumstances' for certain tech faults. There is no such general 'out of airlines control' clause.

JCX BXC

Graham wrote: »

The airline can only claim 'extraordinary circumstances' for certain tech faults. There is no such general 'out of airlines control' clause.

If a cancellation is weather related, atc delay related, anything other than something the airline can control, its not subject to the EU compensation.

From the citizens info website

If the airline can prove that the cancellation was caused by an extraordinary circumstance which could not have been avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken, no compensation is payable. Examples of extraordinary circumstances may include weather conditions, air traffic control restrictions, security risks and industrial disputes that affect the operation of the flight.

Graham

As we don't know the reason given by the airline in this instance I can't speculate. A case was won in the European court that limits the scope of technical issues. It's not a general get-out.

Even if compensation under EC261 doesn't apply, the airline still have a duty of care to passengers which IIRC include accommodation, subsistence, onward travel etc.

LXFlyer

Something does not add up about this.

Until the OP explains in full the sequence of events we cannot realistically answer his question.

Like Graham says, the airline would have a duty of care to its passengers and I'm a bit baffled as to why the OP is saying they didn't follow through on that.

OP first off,
- can you explain who you booked the flight through,
- was it part of a longer trip
- where you were when you found out about the cancellation
- and how did you find out & who informed you

From that we should then have some idea of what exactly your situation was as the information you've given so far is just too limited.