You have probably experienced that your flight has been delayed by a few hours or cancelled. You will receive a food voucher and notice of a new departure on another flight, and perhaps accommodation if needed. But you may also be entitled to compensation from the airline, without them necessarily informing you of this. – If the journey is delayed by more than three hours, you are actually entitled to a good chunk of money, says Thomas Iversen from the Consumer Council. You can get the compensation through a so-called standard compensation. It applies even if you have no financial losses due to the change in your journey. – The compensation starts at 250 euros for the shortest journeys. If you are very late and have to travel a long way, it will be a total of 600 euros, or approximately NOK 6,700, per passenger. Thomas Iversen is senior legal adviser at the Norwegian Consumer Council. Photo: Forbrukerrådet According to Iversen, this should cover small expenses that you would otherwise not have been reimbursed, in addition to the inconvenience you had with the delay. – You may, for example, have other tickets that you miss. It could be a concert you were supposed to attend or you could miss a day of work and be deducted from your salary. You are entitled to this In addition to reimbursement, you are entitled to additional financial compensation. These follow standardized rates. 250 euros for all flights up to 1500 km. For two people, this amounts to NOK 5,821 today. 400 euros for all flights within the EEA of more than 1,500 km and for all other flights between 1,500 and 3,500 km 600 euros for all other flights This also depends on how quickly you get there: the compensation can be reduced by 50 percent if you are offered place on another flight to the location and the arrival time does not exceed the original flight that was booked by more than: 2 hours for flights up to 1500 km 3 hours for flights within the EEA of more than 1500 km and for all other flights between 1500 and 3500 km 4 hours for all other flights You are not entitled to compensation in cases where: You are informed of the setting no later than 14 days before departure You are informed of the setting between 14 and 7 days and at the same time are offered a rebooking so that you can travel a maximum of 2 hours before the original departure time and reach the destination no later than 4 hours after the planned travel time You are informed of the setting less than 7 days before departure, but are offered a rebooking that allows you to travel no more than 1 hour before the planned departure time and reach your destination no later than 2 hours after planned arrival time All airlines have separate forms on their websites that you can use to apply for a refund. What you are entitled to depends on two things: At what time you found out about the cancellation and new departure and arrival times What was the reason for the cancellation Better information The Consumer Council feels that the airlines provide good information about food and drink, accommodation and alternative tickets in the event of delays . – But information about standard compensation does not come across as well, says Thomas Iversen. – Is it under-communicated from the airlines? – Here it probably varies a lot. But many companies have something to gain from providing much better information about standard compensation. Such SMSs are not unusual when a flight is canceled or delayed. Here the customer is informed about food vouchers and accommodation. Photo: Private – Do you want to say something about who is the best and worst when it comes to that? – I guess I can put it a bit simply that the cheapest airlines are not necessarily the best in terms of information. Airlines are obliged to inform passengers of their rights along the way in the event of changes to the journey. – There is always a slightly slippery transition between what is good enough information and what is not. So if they link to a page where you can read your rights, that might be good enough. But we believe that the most central rights should be highlighted clearly. Iversen has previously stated that it appears difficult to find out what you are entitled to, and that it is made complicated on purpose. But you are not entitled to compensation in all cases. Do you know what you are entitled to? Thought so, but now I’m not so sure Yes, fairly good control No, this was new to me Show result Does not apply to all reasons The claim for money back disappears if the cancellation or delay of your flight is due to “extraordinary circumstances”, i.e. things that are beyond the airline’s control. This could be, for example, in the event of a strike, weather conditions or unforeseen security measures. However, technical problems or crew shortages, including in the event of a strike among the airline’s own personnel, are not considered under the heading of extraordinary circumstances. If you think this is confusing, there are companies that make a living by complaining on behalf of the passengers. And they see that many of us do not know our rights well enough. Thinks the airlines should do more Airhelp’s surveys show that 85 percent of customers are unaware of compensation rights in connection with cancellations and delays. – This shows challenges in the airlines’ communication practices, not only in Norway, but globally, says lawyer Christina Steimler, representing Airhelp. Christina Steimler states that 530,000 travelers to and from Norwegian airports were entitled to compensation in 2023. She adds: – Many airlines do not do enough to inform passengers of their rights, as they are required to do according to the Air Passenger Ordinance. Steimler points out that there are no sanctions for failing to provide information. – The rights information often comes in small print and can be communicated in a way that passengers have difficulty understanding or accessing. Passengers often report that they received information from consumer organizations or companies about AirHelp. The airlines themselves say that they work hard to give customers the best possible overview. – Information is very important In an e-mail, press contact at Norwegian, Eline Hyggen Skari, replies that they work to ensure that customers have as pleasant an experience as possible. – Information is of course a very important part of it. Hyggen Skari points out that the airline’s website contains good and clear information in several languages. Eline Hyggen Skari, senior communications advisor for Norwegian. Photo: Thomas Brun NTB / Communications Communications advisor in Widerøe, Lina Lindegaard Carlsen, claims that Widerøe attaches a link to information about rights and conditions in all SMS and e-mails. – This applies to both cancellations and delays. She explains that from there it is only one click before you get to an overview at the Norwegian Aviation Authority. – It could be different in each case what the passenger is entitled to. In a situation where an operational disruption occurs in the form of a delay or cancellation, our first priority is to inform affected passengers. She further explains that adapting an SMS with all the applicable rights will be a very time-consuming process, and not least result in a very long SMS. – That’s why we attach the link instead, says Lindegaard Carlsen. Communications advisor in Widerøe, Lina Photo: Widerøe SAS replies that they inform all passengers who experience delays or cancellations via SMS and/or e-mail. – There they get information about what rights they have in the event of an irregularity. SAS believes that the information that comes with the SMS is good and complementary, where, among other things, it appears what amount of compensation the passengers are entitled to, says Acting Communications Manager Joachim Sponheim. The airlines answer this: Eline Hyggen Skari, press contact at Norwegian: – We are constantly working to ensure that customers have as streamlined and pleasant an experience as possible when they travel with us, and information is of course a very important part of that. On our website, we have good and clear information in several languages, and it includes EU regulation 261/2004, which is a common regulation that all European airlines follow. In the event of a delay of more than two hours, we always include a link to this. – In the past year, we at Norwegian have also simplified a great many procedures that we know the customers value: we send automated vouchers/coupons for food money in the event of, for example, delays, we activate a digital service that immediately sends customers a list of hotels they can choose between whether the delay involves an overnight stay. – This spring we have also upgraded our check-in kiosks at the airports so that customers can take more actions themselves. Our goal is that all the information we make available in our channels – and also send directly to customers – should be as easy to understand as possible. – We constantly evaluate our services and products, and the customers’ own feedback to us helps to contribute to continuous development and improvement. Lina Lindegaard Carlsen, communications advisor at Widerøe: – Widerøe attaches a link to information about rights and conditions in all SMS and e-mails. This applies to both cancellations and delays. “Information on conditions and passenger rights: https://www.wideroe.no/fly-med-oss/vilkar-og-kondsninger” From here it is only one click before you get to an overview at the Norwegian Aviation Authority, and in that way you can the passengers see what they are entitled to in the relevant case. – Why is it not included in a standard SMS about what you are entitled to in the case of delays and settings? – See answer above. In addition to this, what the passenger is entitled to may differ in each case. In a situation where an operational disruption (delay or cancellation) occurs, our first priority is to inform affected passengers. As can be seen from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority’s overview, there are many factors that affect whether the passenger is entitled to standard compensation or not. Adapting the SMS with all the applicable current rights per case would be a very time-consuming process, and not least result in a very long SMS. Therefore, we attach the link instead. – Can Widerøe get better at informing customers about what they are entitled to? – See answer above. As can be seen from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority’s overview, there are many factors that affect whether the passenger is entitled to standard compensation or not. Adapting the SMS with all the applicable current rights per case would be a very time-consuming process, and not least result in a very long SMS. Therefore, we attach the link instead. Published 22.06.2024, at 08.16
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You are entitled to this in case of canceled or delayed flights – news Nordland
