Travel worries? Snow problem!

If you're worried that a cancelled trip could leave you out of pocket, Confused.com's Carl Chambers is here to allay those fears...

There’s only really been one news story this year – the weather. Watch the telly and you’ll see panic-inducing news reports that are edited like a trailer for the movie 2012; go to the shop and you’ll find shelves low on bread and milk; and pass a school and you’ll see empty classrooms.

Now I’m tempted to knock the nation for being such softies, but that would be hypocritical, because if the snow cancels my imminent flight to Krakow, I’ll be crying like a baby. Yep, I’m off for a two-day city break to a place with worse weather than here (it’s so cold I’ve had to buy long johns to keep my sparrow-like legs warm – is that too much information?) But my worry is, as I booked the flights independently and not as part of a package*, what are my rights if the flight is cancelled? Here’s what I found out.
 
Under EU Regulations, you have the following passenger rights:

Cancellation: You are entitled to a refund for unused tickets, rerouting to the same destination at the earliest opportunity, or later rerouting to the same destination (depending on seat availability). You are also entitled to a refund plus a ticket back to where you came from if it’s an onward connecting flight that’s been cancelled. Furthermore, you can claim compensation of:

1) €250 for flights less than 1500km;
2) €400 for flights within the EU of more than 1500km, or any other flight more than 1500km but less than 3500km;
3) €600 for flights not within the EU of more than 3500km.

(Note: compensation levels are halved if you are offered rerouting that gets you to your destination within two, three or four hours of the scheduled arrival time for 1, 2 and 3 respectively)

However, you are not entitled to compensation if:

• you are notified at least two weeks prior to departure;
• you are notified between one and two weeks prior to departure, and re-routed so that you depart no more than two hours earlier than scheduled, and arrive no more than four hours later than scheduled;
• you are notified less than one week prior to departure, and re-routed so that you depart no more than one hour earlier than scheduled, and arrive no more than two hours later than scheduled;
• the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided by any reasonable measure (e.g. extreme weather).

Delay: You are entitled to a refund if your flight is delayed by five hours. You may also be entitled to a refund plus a ticket back to where you came from if the five hour delay is for an onward connecting flight. Furthermore, you are entitled to food, refreshments and communication (two telephone calls, fax or telex messages, or emails) if the expected delay is more than:

• two hours for flights less than 1500km in distance;
• three hours for flights within the EU of more than 1500km, or any other flight more than 1500km but less than 3500km;
• four hours for flights not within the EU of more than 3500km.

You are also entitled to accommodation (including transport) if the flight is expected to depart on the day after the original scheduled departure time.

The above information has eased my mind somewhat with regards to flight problems, and I have hopefully covered all other potential holiday problems with travel insurance and because I paid for everything on a credit card (read about Section 75 consumer protection).

But of course, none of this will make me very happy if my flight actually gets cancelled. However, if this does happen, not only will I probably moan about it in next week’s blog, if anyone knows anyone who fancies a couple of pairs of hardly worn, almost new long johns, you know who to ask.

'Til next time… Na zdrowie!

*The above info does not apply to flights booked as part of a package. Package holidays have their own protection under ABTA, ATOL or The Package Tour Regulations 1992.