Passengers
The rights of passengers in case of delays or cancellation because of volcanic distruption
If your flight is cancelled or delayed as a result of these unexpected conditions, it is important to know that you have significant rights and entitlements under EC Regulation No. 261/ 2004. For a brief summary of these rights and entitlements please see below.
Where a flight is cancelled with no prior notice, the passengers are entitled to:
Be informed of their legal rights by the airline;
Access to telephone, fax, telex or other forms of communication;
A refund or an alternative flight to their destination subject to availability, and;
Food, refreshments and accommodation offered by the airline free of charge (if necessary and in reasonable relation to the waiting time) while waiting on an alternative flight.
Where a flight is delayed for certain prescribed timeframes (i.e. at least 2 hours for short haul flights and 3 hours for medium haul flights), passengers are entitled to:
Be informed of their legal entitlements by the airline;
Food and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time;
Two phone calls, telex or fax messages, or emails;
Accommodation if a stay of one or more nights becomes necessary;
Transport between the airport and place of accommodation.
It is important to note that these rights and entitlements apply even though the cause of the flight cancellation/ delay is weather related!
For more comprehensive information regarding your rights and entitlements under EC Regulation No. 261/ 2004