Every day, millions of airlines make “promises” to their passengers by selling plane tickets. The airline promises its customers that they will arrive at their destination at an agreed-upon time, and the customer accepts the offer and completes the reservation.
Of course, this promise cannot always be kept. Planes can have breakdowns, there can be air traffic, or any other issue that prevents the plane from taking off at the scheduled time.
To remedy the situation, airlines often change the passenger’s reservation and include them in a new journey, which serves as a replacement for the trip that could not take place. This modification is called a “rerouting,” and it is the main topic we will discuss today.
These changes of route or “reroutings” have been debated in courts for a long time, so lawmakers have decided when it is possible to claim a travel modification and when it is not possible to reimburse the traveler.
That being said, you will soon discover when you can claim a rerouting and receive up to €600 in compensation in addition to the price you paid for the ticket.
Let’s get started!
Reasons Why an Airline Changes the Itinerary
There are several reasons why an airline may be forced to modify the itineraries of the tickets you have purchased. Some of the most common reasons include:
- Weather Conditions: One of the main reasons airlines change flight itineraries is due to weather conditions. In case of bad weather, such as a storm, snowfall, or fog, the airline may need to reschedule flights to avoid this situation and ensure the safety of passengers.
- Operational Reasons: Another reason airlines may modify flight itineraries is due to operational issues, such as technical problems with the plane, crew issues, or air traffic management problems. In these cases, the airline may need to alter the flight itinerary to ensure it is conducted safely and efficiently.
- Overbooking: Overbooking occurs when the airline sells more tickets than available seats on the plane, expecting some passengers not to show up for the flight. However, if all passengers do show up, the airline must find a way to accommodate them all on the plane. If this doesn’t work out, the airline may need to modify the flight itinerary, rescheduling some passengers to ensure everyone can travel.
- Health Issues: In situations where outbreaks or pandemics occur, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines may need to modify flight itineraries to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, or to comply with travel regulations and restrictions of destination countries. This was a very common cause from 2020 onwards.
All these events can force an airline to cancel your ticket and replace it with a flight of similar characteristics.
How a Rerouting Affects You
A rerouting can cause serious problems for many passengers. This is because travelers may lose hotel reservations at their destination, miss paid tourist visits, or any other relevant occasion for the passenger.
This poses a major problem in summer when hotel bookings are generally made up to 8 months in advance, so a rerouting can ruin all the plans the passenger had scheduled.
Since these flight changes have affected many people, the courts had to intervene and establish clear criteria to determine when you can claim and when it will not be possible to do so. In the next section, we will examine when you might be entitled to compensation for a rerouting and when it will not be possible.
When You Cannot Claim for a Rerouting
The first thing to know is that a rerouting consists of two elements:
1. The cancellation of a flight.
2. The proposal of a new flight.
What we are claiming is the cancellation part of the flight, as this can harm us in different ways. However, there are several situations in which you CANNOT claim:
– When the flight is canceled two weeks or more in advance.
– When the flight is canceled and the passenger is informed 2 weeks to 7 days in advance, and the proposed new flight departs no more than 2 hours earlier and arrives at the final destination with a delay of less than 4 hours.
– When the cancellation is notified on the same day of the flight or less than 7 days in advance, and the proposed new flight departs no more than 1 hour earlier and arrives at the final destination with a delay of less than 2 hours.
– When the airline offers alternative transportation and the passenger arrives at the final destination with a delay of less than 3 hours.
If your situation does not match any of these exceptional cases, then it is possible that you are entitled to compensation, with the options presented in the next section.
When You Can Claim for a Rerouting
Once your flight is canceled, the airline will offer you a new itinerary with new flight times.
If you accept the proposed flight change by the airline, you will not be entitled to a ticket refund, but you can request compensation ranging from €250 to €600 (depending on the damages suffered).
If you decide not to accept the change, you will have two options:
– Request a refund and not travel, which entitles you to compensation ranging from €250 to €600, the cost of the unused ticket, and any additional fees for damages and losses.
– Request a refund and travel by other means, in which case the airline will have to compensate you for the cost of the new transport if it is more expensive than the original one.
We also want to remind you that if your flight is advanced by an hour or more, you will also be entitled to compensation ranging from €250 to €600. Now, how can we claim a flight?
How to Claim a Rerouting
Airlines are generally reluctant to grant compensations. Like any other business, they will try to pay as little as possible and avoid taking responsibility for possible reroutings.
At Lexority, we have encountered these situations thousands of times, and we have a team of lawyers with the necessary experience to successfully claim a rerouting that deserves compensation.
All you need to do is fill out the form on our website and we will contact you to help you get fair compensation.
