What can we complain about to an airline?

In this article we bring you some very practical advice to take into account in the event of incidents with airlines. It never hurts to have a dose of information, because many passengers do not know how to make a complaint with their airline and this often leads to the user feeling lost and unattended at the airport.

Both the loss of luggage (which we talked about in a previous post), as well as delays and cancellations, the traveller can protect themselves under the law and it is necessary to be aware of this in order to make a claim, as it is protected by the European Regulation 261. The reclamador.es, an online company that is responsible for defending the user against large companies, has launched a series of tips to keep in mind to start a claim in case of incident in our flight. Here we summarize them!

1. Flight delays

Users have the right to be informed as soon as a delay occurs. It is after 2 hours of delay that the traveller can claim assistance and meals and financial compensation if the flight is delayed for more than 3 hours. These compensations will vary depending on the distance of the flight, from 250 to 600 euros.

2. Flight cancellation

If the departure of the alternative transport is the following day or later, the company must provide accommodation as well as the necessary transport for the journey. This is independent of the financial compensation for delay.

3. Loss or damage to baggage

The first step is to file a PIR (Baggage Irregularity Report) at the airline counter and once completed, up to 1,300 euros can be claimed for damage, delays or incidents with our travel luggage. Although there is a 21-day deadline, it is advisable to submit this document after landing. In addition, it is advisable to make a declaration of value when checking in if you are travelling with an important object in order to be able to request it in the event of an incident. You can read our post to find out what steps to take in the event of lost luggage.

4. Denied boarding due to overbooking

Although it is a practice in the European Union, in the event of overbooking, passengers also have a series of rights to which they can take advantage of and which also contemplate the same compensation as in the previous sections.

5. Using the return ticket without having used the outward ticket

This is the so-called No Show clause, whereby if one of the legs of the journey is not used, the other legs of the ticket are automatically cancelled. Its application in Spain has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court after numerous complaints from consumers, so that the user will be able to claim if he/she is denied the use of one of the tickets.

In turn, Regulation 261 covers charter flight travellers, which are those contracted by a tour operator to transport its clients to a certain place, as well as flights that are part of package tours, which include more than one tourist service such as accommodation, car hire or tickets to events. Therefore, in the event of incidents, passengers on these flights have the same rights and compensation.

Every passenger has their rights, so bear in mind this series of tips before starting your flight.

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