Airplanes, Codacons: with canceled flight compensation up to 600 euros

Codacons intervenes “on the chaos that is affecting the air transport sector, recalling that in the event of flight cancellation, passengers are entitled, in addition to the reimbursement of the ticket, also to compensation of up to 600 euros per traveler”. This is what the association recalls in a note, which highlights how “the cancellation of a flight or flight delay linked to a strike does not exempt the airline from the payment of financial compensation and from the obligation to provide assistance to passengers on the ground. “. Even during a strike, the Codacons still recalls, air carriers are required to guarantee the passenger: drinks and meals during the entire waiting period; hotel accommodation, if the cancellation of the flight gives rise to the need for one or more nights; transfers to and from the airport by taxi or bus if necessary; telephone calls or messages via telex, fax or e-mail. Furthermore, the association writes, “as required by Reg. (EC) No. 261/04 in the event of flight cancellation, the passenger has the right to choose between the following three options: reimbursement of the ticket price for the part of the trip not carried out; boarding an alternative flight as soon as possible in relation to the airline’s operations; boarding an alternative flight at a later date more convenient for the passenger. If the cancellation of the flight has not been communicated with at least two weeks’ notice , the passenger is also entitled to compensation equal to: 250 euros for all flights of less than or equal to 1500 km. 400 euros for intra-community flights exceeding 1500 km and for all other routes between 1500 and 3500 km . 600 euros for flights over 3,500 km outside the European Union “.” These rights – recalls Codacons – are also valid in the event of a strike, as established by the sentence of the Court of Jun stizia of the European Union of 6 October 2021, according to which the strike of air personnel is not to be considered an “exceptional circumstance”, as it can be an accident or weather conditions that have suddenly become prohibitive, because it is “an event inherent to the normal exercise of the activity of the employer concerned “, and therefore” is neither unusual nor unpredictable “. In a nutshell, workers’ right to strike cannot interfere with the right to compensation of passengers who become involved in the unrest “.” The failure to approve the European regulation on ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) aggravates the situation of air transport passengers and it limits their rights in case of disservices such as the current ones “, concludes the Codacons.