Arriving at your destination on time is a factor many travellers tend to take for granted. Flight cancellation or a take-off delay isn’t uncommon for security issues, ongoing airport maintenance, and severe weather conditions.
A delayed flight can easily put a stop to any plans you had, especially if you were travelling to Europe and hoping to get a connection to your final destination.
The good news is that there’re several actions Southwest travellers can take to make sure the flight cancellation won’t completely ruin their plans.
According to Flightright a platform to help you get to know your rights, it’s possible to get to be compensated or receive your money back in the event of a delay or a cancellation.
Flightright is committed to educating travellers on their rights when they encounter a delayed flight or when the flight is cancelled altogether.
Through the platform, you’ll also get to learn of instances when you can be compensated due to a cancelled Southwest flight.
What to Do If My Flight Is Cancelled?
If your flight to Europe gets cancelled, you should consider rebooking the flight without using an agent. Often, the first thing most travellers do is to get on the phone or queue at the service counter.
As you wait, you should take out your smartphone and use your browser to check if it’s possible to rebook your flight free of charge. Southwest, for example, provides this feature through its website and mobile app, even when faced with the smallest of delays.
All you have to do is pull out your reservation and look for the rebooking option.
Can I Get Compensation for My Cancelled Flight?
According to Citizens Advice, travellers can get compensated for a cancelled flight if the termination is the responsibility of the airline and if the following conditions apply:
• If you have been informed of the changes in your flight less than two weeks before your travel date
• The replacement flight provided by the airline will delay your scheduled arrival time by two or more hours.
The amount you’re set to receive from the airline is determined based on when the cancellation took place, the length of your flight, and the arrival and departure times of the new flight.
How Do I Get a Compensation for My Cancelled Flight?
Air passenger rights are protected by The EU Regulation 261/2004. Provided your claim meets all the requirements mentioned earlier, you’ll have several options at your disposal: They include:
• Try to Get Compensated On Your Own. It’s a process that involves getting in touch with the airline operating the cancelled flight, not the one that issued the ticket.
• Contact a Lawyer for Assistance: Considering that claiming a reimbursement requires you to be well informed of your passenger rights, you may need to hire a lawyer. However, this option isn’t recommended as the process is time-consuming, and the lawyer may ask for upfront payment without a guarantee they’ll succeed.
• Let Flightright Seek Reimbursement for You: The team at Flightright is well-versed in the process of assisting passengers to receive reimbursements from the airline.
How Much Compensation Can I Get for A Cancelled Flight?
Business travellers are always looking for useful advice on how much they can get from an airline as reimbursement for a cancelled flight. As mentioned earlier, the EU Regulation 261/2004 (EC 261) serves as the basis for determining air passenger rights.
The regulation states that a passenger can claim as much as £600 for any cancelled flight. While the rules applied in such a case appear simple in theory, it’s not possible to determine how much you’ll receive without the help of a calculator.
Summary
In this article, we have covered everything you need to know about cancelled flights and what to do to get a reimbursement. Understanding your air passenger rights can help you know what to do the next time you find yourself in such a scenario.
