Airlines to Increase Minimun Delays For Flight Compensation
REFUND.ME and Various Consumer Organisations Question Motives Behind Increase to Minimum Delays for Flight Compensation
Under the proposed revision of EU regulation 261/2004, the minimum delay for flight compensation would increase from three to five, nine or even twelve hours. By some measures a majority of passengers currently eligible for compensation for flight delays, cancellations and missed connections and diversions could lose their right to claim.
Regardless of their nationality, all passengers fall within the scope of the European Union regulation if their flight is operated within the EU, outbound from the EU or inbound to the EU while operated by an EU airline. This regulation defines compensations of up to €600 to any passenger reaching the final destination with a delay of at least 3 hours. The European Commission, however, has recently approached the European Parliament to review this law, seemingly bending to serve the interests of airlines at the expense of travellers. In fact, Brussels is looking to establish new delay thresholds: 5 hours for intra-European flights; 9 hours for flights of less than 6000 km; and 12 hours for all other flights.
The European Commission insists these changes are proposed with the interests of the consumer in mind by claiming this will encourage airlines to operate delayed flights rather than cancel them. refund.me and a number of European consumer associations, however, question the motives behind the proposed changes and fiercely oppose them as they clearly damage passengers’ rights.
To help passengers receive their compensation, refund.me offers free consultations by giving all its users the possibility to check their flight’s eligibility for compensation through its website www.refund.me or its smart phone application. Thanks to its largely automated procedures, refund.me is a real-time platform that provides customers with live and accurate information.
To file a complaint, the affected passenger quickly fills out an online form and refund.me handles the process from there. The customer is only required to pay a 25% commission (plus statutory VAT) once and only if the claim is successful. This allows passengers to avoid a complicated and long bureaucratic process. “Many passengers don’t know their rights or find it too difficult to complete the procedures to obtain a refund. Our network of experienced legal experts in passenger rights help our customers demand and receive the compensation they are rightly entitled to”, added Ms. Buechner, CEO of refund.me.