Florida Villas and Vacation Rentals
Flying To Florida. Know Your Rights.
It is a well known fact that booking the various elements of your holiday to Florida seperatley, saves you money. So your decision is made, your going it alone but what are your rights, and how do you make sure you have the cover and security you require?
Thanks to a ruling by the European Court in 2006, airlines flying in or out of any airports within the European Union, are required to provide compensation to passengers who have suffered as a result of overbooked, delayed or cancelled flights. As a result all passengers are now in a stronger position than ever before, as the previous legislation allowed carriers to contest any claim.All claims are considered on the basis of the length of any delay, and the distance you are travelling. To ensure you are fully aware of your specific rights and entitlements, airlines are obliged to provide passengers with a notice of them, so in the event of a delay, you can insist on being given what you are entitled to on the spot in the airport.
Your Basic Rights.
- Passengers on a long haul flights who have had a delay of 4 hours or more, are entitled to meals and refreshments, and two complimentary phone calls, emails or faxes etc.
- In addition, after a 5-hour delay passengers who decide not to fly are entitled to a refund on the part of the ticket not used.
- In the event of an overnight delay, the airline is responsible for the payment of hotel accommodation.
- If you suffer a delay of 5 hours or more on a connecting flight, and you chose not to continue with your onward journey with that carrier, then you are entitled to claim a full refund of the total journey including the part of the journey already made. In addition to this if requested to do so, the carrier must provide a free flight back to your original point of departure.Any compensation awarded as a result of a cancellation, takes into account of the length of the notification of the delay, the length of the flight and the severity of the delay. If however the airline can prove that the cause of the delay was beyond their control, such as the weather conditions etc, any compensation can be contested.
Over subscribed flights are common place, thanks in main to the common practice excercised by the airline companies, who live in hope that all those who purchased tickets fail to arrive prior to departure. In such an event, those who find themselves left behind after arriving and checking in on time are entitled to compensation. This will be in the form of a full refund or if you choose a seat on the next available flight. As outlined above, you are also to be given meals, refreshments and the means to notify others of your delay. If your delay incurs an overnight stay the airline must provide and pay for a hotel.
In such circumstances, the carrier must immediately offer the traveller a cash compensation, in the form of around £400 for flights less than and including 3,500 kilometres (2174 miles) and £600 for flights in excess of this. In the event that the airline can get you to your destination within 3 to 4 hours of your original arrival time, for flights over 3,550 kilometres, the amount awarded will be halved.
How to get compensation.
All refunds must be paid within seven days. In the event of a cancellation, the traveller must contact the carrier before any award is made. As outlined above, should you be denied the right to board, compensation should be provided immediately.
What happens if they don’t pay out?
As a direct result of the legislation, any airline, which fails to adhere to the regulations, faces fines of up to £5000 per passenger. Such instances should be referred to the Air Transport Users’ Council.
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