A European reform proposal puts The protections of air passengers is at risk: less compensation in case of delay and/or cancellation. Volosicuro, which since 2014 provides legal protection to air passengers to obtain compensation and reimbursement of flights in the event of cancellation or delay, firmly opposes this drift. Here’s what you can do to get what you are up to you.
The European Commission is ready to put your hand back to one of the most important regulations for travelers of the Old Continent: Regulation (EC) n. 261/2004, which protects passengers in case of delay, cancellation and overbooking. On June 5, the Commission will discuss in fact a proposal for reform which could upset the current conditions to access automatic compensation, making them more difficult to obtain and strongly reduced.
The expected changes are far from secondary. In particular, the draft of the new legislation provides for the following:
Today air passengers are entitled to a pecuniary compensation if they undergo a delay equal to or greater than three hours, with amounts that vary between 250 and 600 euros based on the length of the trafficking.
The reform proposal, on the other hand, introduces significantly higher thresholds: for all flights within the European Union, the compensation would be provided only starting from 5 hours late, uniforming the minimum requirements to the rise.
It is not better for international connections: for the non-EU sections between 3,500 and 6,000 kilometers, the right to compensation would only take off after 9 hours, while for those over 6,000 kilometers the delay should even exceed twelve hours.
A drastic change of step, which would go to cut many cases that can be compensated today, effectively reducing pressure on airlines but leaving thousands of passengers without protection. It is estimated that if the reform was approved, over 85% of the valid requests today would be rejected according to the new parameters.
Less nights in the hotel for blocked passengers: assistance is reduced
Among the most controversial changes contained in the reform proposal is a net reduction of the right to accommodation for travelers left on the ground. According to the legislation currently in force, the airlines are required to provide adequate hotel accommodation, without limits of duration, if the passengers remain blocked due to significant delays and/or cancellations. The new text, on the other hand, introduces a maximum economic roof both economic and temporal: assistance would stop at 100 euros per night per passenger, and in any case for a maximum of three nights, in the case of “exceptional circumstances”.
A strait that would penalize above all the passengers involved in serious and/or contexts with few connection alternatives where passengers could be held in the holiday site for more than three days. But that’s not all: for flights lower than 250 km operated with aircraft up to 80 seats, The obligation to provide accommodation would be completely eliminatedunless it is an aerial coincidence. A change that mainly affects regional connections and passengers of small airports, often already disadvantaged in terms of assistance and alternative solutions.
Change of timetables and new restrictions on reimbursements
The proposal also introduces new conditions for the recognition of compensation in the event of time changes. If the airline communicates a change at the starting time or arrival less than 15 days of notice, the passenger will maintain the right to economic compensation, as happens today. However, other innovations are likely to heavily restrict access to reimbursements.
The reform project, in fact, redefines the so -called “exceptional circumstances” in a broader sense, that is, those situations in which airlines can escape the obligation to compensate passengers. Events such as technical failures and the congestion of air traffic, today generally not considered valid to exonerate the company from its responsibilities, could be recognized in the future as legitimate causes. Consequently, many more cases of disservice would be excluded from the right to reimbursement, leaving travelers without any compensation.
Who really loses us? Travelers
Less compensation means less justice for travelers. The revision proposal, in fact, seems to want to lighten the obligations of airlineswhich in recent years have accumulated delays, cancellations and disservices, often without providing adequate assistance. Today, thanks to the regulation in force, the passenger has the right to an economic compensation between 250 and 600 euros depending on the section, if the delay exceeds three hours and is not due to exceptional circumstances.
With the reform, this right goes away. And just now that we prepare for the summer season, with millions of Europeans ready to fly for holiday or work, the risk is that you find yourself more vulnerable, with less tools available to defend your interests in case of problems.
Who really defends passengers?
In an increasingly uncertain regulatory context, the work of Specialized lawyers of Volosicuro it becomes even more essential. For years, the Volosicuro team firmly fights to guarantee passengers what is entitled to them. In thousands of cases, they managed to obtain reimbursements for delays, cancellations and overbooking that the companies had denied or ignored.
The great legal experience, combined with a detailed knowledge of European regulations, allows you to effectively face even the most complex cases. And in view of the changes to the regulation, it is essential to rely on those who know every detail of the regulatory framework and know how to move between legal procedures, exceptions and bureaucratic obstacles.
How to get compensation if your flight is late or deleted
The advice, for anyone who has suffered a disservice, is not to let it run. Even if the rules could change, those currently in force still give you the right to compensation in several cases.
To obtain compensation, it is important to keep the boarding card, write down the actual arrival time, ask the company for the official reasons for the delay and, if possible, to obtain a written confirmation.
Volosicuro provides you with legal assistance: just fill in the form available on the safe flight site to find out if you are entitled to compensation and obtain advice on your completely free case. If Volosicuro evaluates that you are entitled to the refund or to compensation you will not have to anticipate any sum and you will pay only 10 % of what it is up to the end of the practice and only in the event of a positive outcome.
At a time when rights risk being reduced, it is more important than never to assert them as long as they are active. And relying on those who, like Volosicuro, fight every day to protect travelers is not only a useful choice, but an act of trust in those who still believe in justice. Before leaving, informed. And if your flight accumulates delay, you know who to turn to.
