What are the rights of air passengers in case of problems - delays, cancellations, overbooking, airline bankruptcy? Citizens ask, MEPs and experts answer.

Q&A: Air passenger rights

My name is Vineta   and I come from Latvia.

I would like to know   who will cover the costs

if the flight is cancelled   or rescheduled

and we have to pay for a hotel   and more for the plane ticket.

One of the biggest problems are   plane breakdowns,

when the companies almost always   claim force majeure circumstances.

And they say, 'you must understand,   we cancel the flight for safety reasons.'

Obviously safety   is of primary importance.

recently ruled that a plane breakdown is   not automatically a case of force majeure.

In theory, a reimbursement should   be foreseen for cases like this.

In any case it should be possible to board   another flight and to get assistance.

The recent Montreal Convention,   however,

allows the airlines   to avoid paying reimbursements

in exceptional circumstances such as   bad weather or political instability.

We have to intervene   to verify these questions.

We want the customers to be reimbursed   in case of accidents

or delays due to weather,   based on the length of the delay.

We want them to get appropriate   accommodation in a hotel room and food.

I think that's normal, that's the kind of   consumer protection we need in Europe.

Once they've checked in,   the passengers have the right to fly.

If they're on the ground, they have   the right to take the next possible flight,

and to receive all the necessary   assistance up until then.

If they're grounded   at an airport in the EU

they have the right to reimbursement   or a flight voucher.

Usually the passengers   who didn't get a seat

should get a replacement flight   or reimbursement.

Hello, my name is Eli   and I come from Greece.

I have the following question: I bought   a ticket and the company went bankrupt.

What exactly should I do   and what are my rights?

we'd like for consumers to be reimbursed

and flown back,   if they're already at their destination.

If they have to wait for the next flight,

they should be offered   accommodation and meals.

Unfortunately this is not always the case

although it was established by   an EU directive, adopted last year.

A reimbursement is foreseen   for all-inclusive tickets.

In reality we assisted with the   difficulties of SkyEurope's bankruptcy,

where there were no   all-inclusive packages.

We realised the need   to intervene differently,

which will allow us to have   reimbursement also in these cases.

Hello, I'm Emily from Belgium.   My question is:

is it possible to be reimbursed   if the flight is really late?

The maximum time is three hours.   If the delay is longer than three hours

you have the right to another flight   or a reimbursement of the ticket.

It's possible to be reimbursed   also when there is a major delay.

Normally passengers   of course want to fly

and therefore it's always better   to get a later flight

but reimbursement has to be possible too,

as in the case of business trips   it's possible that the meeting is over