Air passengers departing from an EU/EEA airport have protections under EU law. These protections also apply to passengers leaving from an airport outside of the EU/EEA but arriving at an EU/EEA airport on an EU/EEA licensed carrier.
If your flight is cancelled, the airline must give you a choice of:
A refund of the cost of your ticket within 7 days
Re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, or at a later date if you prefer and if seats are available.
You may also be entitled to compensation depending on when you were told about the cancellation and whether you were offered a suitable alternative flight.
My flight is delayed, am I entitled to anything from the airline?
You must be offered free meals and refreshments depending on how long the waiting time is and if your flight is covered by the law. The following flights are covered by law:
Delays of 2 hours or more in the case of flights of 1500 km or less
Delays of 3 hours or more for all flights within the EU of more than 1500 km, and all other flights between 1500 km and 3500 km
Delays of 4 hours or more in the case of all other flights.
You must be offered free hotel accommodation if you need to stay overnight for one night or more, as well as transport between the hotel and the airport. You must be offered 2 free telephone calls, fax messages, or emails.
If your flight is delayed for 5 hours or more, you must be offered a full refund. This includes a return flight to your first point of departure.
What if I get upgraded or downgraded?
If you are offered an upgrade, the airline cannot charge you anything extra. If you agree to be downgraded, the airline must reimburse you a percentage of the difference in price between your original seat price and the new seat price.
You can find out more about air passenger rights in the European Union on https://bit.ly/CancelledDelayedFlights, or call us on 0818 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm).
Know Your Rights has been compiled by South Connacht Citizens Information Service CLG, which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0818 07 6330 Address: Boyle CIC, Elphin Street, Boyle, Co. Roscommon Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0818 07 4000.
