Home » Crimea » Why do airlines cancel flights? What does it mean to cancel a plane flight, and how to find out about it? Why are flights canceled at the airport?

Why do airlines cancel flights? What does it mean to cancel a plane flight, and how to find out about it? Why are flights canceled at the airport?

Canceling flights is an unpleasant situation, but it happens periodically. This should not be confused with a delay: in the first case, you will still leave on your flight, but later, but in the second, you generally risk staying at home. Do not confuse cancellation with changes in the schedule: if your favorite flight at 23:00 on Friday is no longer available, but it is on Thursday at 12:00, this can only be called a cancellation in everyday terms, and not in aviation terms. Why do cancellations happen and what to do if this happens? Flight cancellation can occur for various reasons. From marketing (for example, the company failed to sell any significant number of tickets in one direction or the other and the amount of compensation to those who bought tickets was less than the amount of losses from the flight) to technical - for example, a detected malfunction of the aircraft in the absence of reserve aircraft or simply bad weather at the airport of departure or destination: during natural disasters, for example, dozens and hundreds of flights are cancelled.

So, the flight is cancelled. The worst thing is if you find out about this at the airport, it’s better in advance, but in any case, you now have several options for further actions. In most cases, the airline will send you to your destination on one of the next flights, with a larger capacity flight if possible. If there are several flights a day to your destination, you don’t fly anywhere from there and there are no urgent matters there (for example, we are talking about returning to Moscow on the weekend from a business trip in St. Petersburg), then this is the option you need to choose.

If you fly somewhere further from your destination, and the frequency of flights is low, connections may be delayed and your trip can easily turn into many hours of sitting in airports. In this case, the airline can send you to your destination on an alternative route, using both its own flights and flights of partner airlines with which interline agreements have been concluded (and this works best within the same airline alliance). However, keep in mind that this only works in the case of a single booking: if you are planning a trip on your own and decide, for example, to fly with Aeroflot from Moscow to Tallinn, and then transfer to RyanAir to Düsseldorf, having bought, respectively, two tickets, then Aeroflot will not send you to Dusseldorf.

The ability to use an alternative route will come in handy if you have an important event waiting for you, such as a concert or conference, for which you won’t be able to catch the next flight either. By the way, for this reason it is always better to buy tickets with enough time to arrive at your destination at least a day before the event. Saving time (or money for an extra night in a hotel) can result in the fact that during a short trip you will arrive at your destination airport and immediately fly back on the same plane.

The situation is even more complicated when a flight cancellation catches up with you at a transit airport. Here, in addition to the “next flight” and “alternative route” options, a third one is added – return home. However, the first two may be complicated by visa restrictions: if you do not have a full-fledged visa giving the right to enter a transit country, then you will have to wait for the next flight not in a cozy hotel, but in a clean area of the airport. However, do not despair: you should try to get a so-called emergency visa at the airport, that is, an “emergency visa” valid for 24 hours. With it, you will not only calmly go to the hotel, but will also be able to take a walk in a new city. True, not everyone is given it - that’s why it’s “emergency”, so you can try to come up with a story about how you urgently need to buy a rare medicine or something like that.

If you are flying with a reputable airline, then all options for further action in case of flight cancellation will be offered to you and organized by its representative office. You can find representatives at the airline office at the airport, or at the check-in counter, or at the gates - in general, you can catch them somewhere. By the way, don’t forget to ask about your luggage: you may need to get it at the transit airport, or maybe it will be re-checked for another flight without issuing it. If you can’t find anyone at all (which is extremely unlikely, but still), you’ll have to call the call center and then demand compensation for communication costs.

By the way, about compensation. If you decide not to fly, then in any case you will be refunded the cost of all unused segments (including a return ticket if you are returning home from a transit airport). If you decide to take the next flight or alternative routes, the situation may develop differently. Canceling a flight due to weather conditions or other “valid” reasons does not imply any special compensation at all: in this case, the same rules apply as for delays - free food, communications, hotel accommodation (including transportation). If the airline does not organize them, then you can pay for everything yourself, keeping the receipts and then filing a claim with the airline. If the costs are “reasonably necessary” (that is, you do not go to Negresco to eat lobster when you can fly out in two hours), they will be reimbursed.

Subsequently, you can receive monetary compensation for the very fact of flight cancellation. In Europe, it is regulated by Directive EU261/2004, according to which for a distance of up to 1500 km 200 euros are paid, for a distance over 1500 km in Europe or 1500-3000 km in other directions - 400 euros, and in other cases - 600 euros. However, if the delay when flying on the next flight or on an alternative route does not exceed 4 hours, then all amounts are divided in half.

The Russian Air Code in Article 120 states: “For delay in delivery of a passenger, baggage or cargo to the destination, the carrier shall pay a fine in the amount of twenty-five percent of the minimum wage established by federal law for each hour of delay, but not more than fifty percent of the carriage charge.” . Moreover, we are talking about a fine in favor of the state. Therefore, you will have to demand compensation within the framework of general legislation, namely, Art. 784 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, according to which the transportation service is provided on the basis of an agreement (air ticket) containing the essential conditions for its provision, incl. departure time. Further, in accordance with Art. 28 of the Law “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”, if the contractor has violated the terms for providing the service, the consumer, at his choice, has the right to assign a new deadline to the contractor; entrust the provision of services to third parties for a reasonable price or perform it on their own and demand reimbursement from the contractor for expenses incurred; demand a reduction in the price for the provision of services; refuse to fulfill the contract for the provision of services. The consumer also has the right to demand full compensation for losses caused to him in connection with violation of the terms of service provision.

In practice, this means that you can either get your money back or buy a ticket on another airline, for which you will be entitled to compensation, while you can also sue for compensation, for example, for a missed concert or for a non-refundable hotel reservation. However, you will have to prove all this in court, so reserve your nerves. “Reducing the price” is also an individual question in each case; there are no fixed amounts here.

Many of us have had a situation in our lives when an airline canceled a flight and we didn’t know what to do or what we were entitled to for it. Therefore, today I will talk about what to do if your flight is cancelled.

1. Who is to blame if the flight is cancelled?

You've probably heard that airlines are not always to blame for flight cancellations and you shouldn't just run screaming to the general manager of the airline at the airport. The first thing you should clarify is the reason for the flight cancellation.

The airline is to blame if the flight is canceled due to:

Inconsistencies in the schedule
If the crew did not have time to prepare or remove the aircraft
If the check-in desk has problems with boarding a passenger due to overbooking. Overbooking is when an airline sells more seats than are actually on the plane because statistics say that not all passengers show up for their flight.
If this flight is not profitable for the airline
Other situations in which the carrier was unable to prove and explain the circumstances that influenced the failure to fulfill his duties.

The airline is not to blame if they interfered:

Weather conditions and natural disasters (fires, snow drifts, floods)
Martial law and hostilities
Termination or restriction of cargo transportation in certain directions;
An airline staff strike or aircraft malfunction that threatens a passenger.

Of all the options listed, I came across two - a staff strike and overbooking (I turned out to be the extra passenger. The issue was resolved and I flew business class)

2. What will you get if your flight is canceled a few days before departure?

If the flight was canceled due to the fault of the airline, it should offer you several options:

Another flight. This could be a completely different route from the same airline or a flight from a different company. The destination cannot be changed.
Full refund of the air ticket price. If you bought one ticket for a connecting flight, you can expect a refund for the cost of your entire route. If you bought tickets in different segments, for example: Kyiv - Prague and separately Prague - Vienna, and the first flight was cancelled, you will only be able to get back the amount for the Kyiv-Prague flight, and the second segment will have to be returned at the usual ticket cancellation rates and you will lose a considerable amount. If the second part of the Prague-Vienna flight is canceled and you are not provided with another flight, which is why the whole point of the trip is lost, the airline is obliged to refund the money for the Prague-Vienna ticket and provide a free flight to Kyiv. If you bought tickets in one segment, on a round-trip basis (both tickets on one form), then you will be able to return the full cost of air travel.

If the flight is canceled 14 days before departure, then the ticket price cannot be refunded. If you were warned about the flight cancellation 13 days before departure, then there is a chance of receiving compensation, and it depends on the duration of your flight.

If you were warned about flight cancellation 7-13 days in advance and were offered a new flight, but fate played a cruel joke on you and the new flight was also cancelled, then you have the right to demand compensation depending on the duration of the flight and the length of the delay. If the flight was delayed for at least 2 hours, then it’s worth going and receiving your compensation of 125 euros and more.

3. The flight was canceled at the airport

A flight can be canceled for any reason, either due to or without the fault of the air carrier. In this case, the airline employees must explain to you why the flight was canceled and if they are to blame for this, then it is possible to offer you a flight with another company (free of charge). If you are flying with a national company within the European Union, then you can claim special benefits, depending on the situation:

If your flight is delayed up to 3 hours, no compensation is provided.
If the flight is delayed by more than 3 hours and your flight is up to 1500 km away, then you are entitled to 250 euros in compensation
If the flight is delayed by more than 3 hours and your flight is between 1500 km and 3500 km, then you are entitled to 400 euros in compensation
If your flight is delayed for more than 3 hours and your flight is within the European Union at a distance of 1500 km or more, then you are entitled to 400 euros in compensation
If the flight is delayed from 3 to 4 hours and your flight is over 3500 km, then you are entitled to 300 euros in compensation
If the flight is delayed by more than 4 hours and your flight is over 3,500 km, then you are entitled to 600 euros in compensation
You can REFUND YOUR FLIGHT COST only if your flight is delayed by more than 5 hours

Let's consider the most common case: You came to check-in, but your flight was diverted and delayed. What to do if your flight is delayed?

If your flight is delayed from 2 to 4 hours, you have the right to:

Two phone calls or the option to send 2 emails
Free non-alcoholic drinks
Free use of the mother and child room if the passenger is flying with a child under 7 years old.

If your flight is delayed by more than 4 hours, you must be provided with a hot meal. If the flight was delayed for a long time, then you must be fed every 6 hours during the day and every 8 hours at night.

If the flight has been postponed for more than 8 hours during the day and for more than 6 hours at night, then the air carrier is obliged to provide you with a hotel and round-trip transfer at the expense of the airline. And know that by law you should not be placed in the same room with a stranger, and you have the right to demand a separate room.

4. How to get compensation for a canceled or delayed flight

4.1. Where to complain if your flight is canceled

The proceedings will always take place in the country in which the flight was cancelled. You can file a complaint at the airport. If there is no office of your airline at the airport, then you can write a complaint on the company’s website, but to be honest, such complaints are not considered or are simply deleted, and we had experience with this. It is best to write a complaint and send it by registered mail to the airline office (in this case, you must keep a copy and all related documents with the flight - you will need this in court).

4.2. When to complain

The faster the better! Each country has its own time frame for considering such situations. In Russia, for example, you can submit your complaint within 6 months from the date of cancellation or delay of the flight.

If they return the money, when?

The Airline does not have exact deadlines for return cash and each company operates according to its own rules and is ready to return the money within a reasonable time. If a European flight is rescheduled, the amount must be refunded within 7 days.

Let's sum it up

If the flight is canceled or delayed, then it is in your interests to collect as much information as possible about the flight delay (photo of the departure board, a note on the airline ticket about the delay or a written receipt), receipts for the costs of food and drinks, etc. With more evidence in hand, everything this will help in proceedings with the company or in court.

Fly, travel and know your rights! I think you will be interested to know where the suitcase goes after it is handed over at the check-in counter.

If there are several flights a day to your destination, you don’t fly anywhere from there and there are no urgent matters there (for example, we are talking about returning to Moscow on the weekend from a business trip in St. Petersburg), then this is the option you need to choose.

If you can’t find anyone at all (which is extremely unlikely, but still), you’ll have to call the call center and then demand compensation for communication costs.

What to do if your flight is canceled

What to do if your flight was canceled due to the fault of the airline

Traveling by plane simplifies people's lives and makes it more comfortable. Instead of spending two days by train, a person spends only a few hours on the road. People plan their vacation or business negotiations taking into account the exact flight schedule.

If a flight is delayed or canceled altogether, tourists are late for connecting flights and work trips are disrupted.

This happens often. Therefore, you need to know what to do when a flight is canceled and where to apply for compensation for ticket costs.

Airlines do everything possible to ensure that flights are not delayed or canceled without good reason. Sometimes a person finds out about the cancellation of a flight right at the airport. Then you need to contact a representative of the air carrier.

If a flight is canceled on the day of departure the company is obliged to explain the reason for the cancellation and, if possible, select another flight.

In a situation where a passenger has checked in, but the flight is delayed from 2 to 4 hours, you can take advantage of some benefits.

Airplane tickets are much more expensive than other types of transport, so compensation for an unfulfilled flight is important here. If a flight is canceled 14 days or more in advance and the passenger does not do anything during this time, the ticket price will not be refunded. If the carrier notified the client 13 days or less before departure, the amount of compensation depends on the duration of the flight.

When an airline announces a trip cancellation a few days before the flight, the passenger can choose one of two types of compensation.

Receive full money spent on the ticket. In the case of a flight with transfers, only the company responsible for canceling the flight will reimburse the cost;
the air carrier can send the tourist on another flight, not necessarily on its own company. The main thing is that the final destination coincides.

A flight cancellation or delay is a serious disruption to the operation of the entire airport. Therefore, any change in the flight schedule is not always the fault of the airline; it is often influenced by a number of unfavorable factors.

scheduling errors;
the inability to register and take on board all passengers due to overbooking, that is, more tickets have been sold than there are available seats on the plane;
the employees did not have time to put the aircraft in order before the next flight;
Not all places have been purchased and it is not financially profitable;
the carrier cannot voice compelling reasons for failure to fulfill its obligations to customers.

There are a number of circumstances in which a flight cannot be operated, but the company is not responsible for this. The air carrier is not to blame if the flight is interfered with.

Travel companies organize charter flights. What to do if a Flight with Connections is Canceled? The flight is possible when enough tickets have been sold to make it profitable for the organizer. Charter flights are often delayed or even postponed indefinitely.

This happens because the charter flight is a non-priority flight in the flight schedule.

And if the plane has technical problems, then tourists will have to sit and wait for them to be fixed; there is no provision for replacing the aircraft.

When canceling a charter, all claims must be made only to the travel agencies that organized it. The contract for the provision of travel agency services must specify the amount of compensation in the event of a postponement or cancellation of a flight.

Canceling a planned flight ruins both personal and business plans of the passenger. But knowing the algorithm of actions in such a situation, you can reduce problems to a minimum.

When a company employee calls in advance and informs about the cancellation, the tourist can choose to fly on another flight or receive a refund for the ticket.

If the news about the flight cancellation caught the air passenger already at the airport, then you need to ask the company employee at the check-in counter about the reason for the postponement or cancellation of the flight. The airline must explain itself. If the carrier’s guilt is confirmed, the tourist will be offered to fly on another flight or receive money for a return ticket.

In the event of a long delay in departure, a company employee must put a mark on the ticket indicating that the flight is delayed. It will make it easier to receive compensation in the future.

When people cannot fly due to overbooking, the carrier is obliged to return money to the “extra” passengers. Additional compensation is also possible, which depends on the flight range.

It is important to know that the deadline for filing a complaint for flight disruption on domestic routes is 60 days, on international routes - 7 days. The claim can be submitted by email.

keep the ticket and boarding pass with a note about the delay or cancellation of the flight;
checks for unexpected expenses - taxi to the hotel or lunch;
take a photo of the line on the board at the airport with information about the cancellation or delay of the flight;
invite neighbors on the flight to unite and submit documents together.

The traveler has the right to receive compensation for flight cancellation only due to the fault of the company. According to Russian laws, a tourist can receive a refund in the amount of 25% of the minimum wage (minimum wage), but not more than half the cost of the ticket. In November 2018, the minimum wage is 11,163 rubles.

Not long ago, Russia began to support the Montreal Convention, which helps passengers resolve conflict situations with air carriers. Under this convention, a tourist can receive compensation for waiting or disrupting a flight at a special SDR rate. It is summed up at the rates of five major world currencies and today amounts to 93 rubles. Based on this, the maximum compensation on an international flight is 4694 SDR, which when translated into rubles exceeds 430 thousand rubles.

Compensation in this amount can only be achieved through the courts.

The air carrier has 60 days from the date of filing the application to refund money for an unused ticket. Money may arrive in your account earlier, but this does not happen often.

Upon learning of a flight cancellation or delay, immediately contact a carrier representative. Due to the fact that airlines try to maintain their reputation, they try to deliver the tourist to his destination on another flight as quickly as possible or negotiate a refund for the cost of the ticket.

Plane flight canceled

Inconsistencies in the schedule
If the crew did not have time to prepare or remove the aircraft
If the check-in desk has problems with boarding a passenger due to overbooking. Overbooking is when an airline sells more seats than there are actually on the plane, because statistics say that not all passengers show up for their flight.
If this flight is not profitable for the airline
Other situations in which the carrier was unable to prove and explain the circumstances that influenced the failure to fulfill his duties.

Weather conditions and natural disasters (fires, snow drifts, floods)
Martial law and hostilities
Termination or restriction of cargo transportation in certain directions;
An airline staff strike or aircraft malfunction that threatens a passenger.

If you have been notified 7–13 days in advance of a flight cancellation and were offered a new flight, but fate played a cruel joke on you and the new flight was also cancelled, then you have the right to demand compensation depending on the duration of the flight and the length of the delay. If the flight was delayed for at least 2 hours, then it’s worth going and receiving your compensation of 125 euros and more.

A flight can be canceled for any reason, either due to or without the fault of the air carrier. In this case, the airline employees must explain to you why the flight was canceled and if they are to blame for this, then it is possible to offer you a flight with another company (free of charge). If you are flying with a national company within the European Union, you may be able to claim special benefits, depending on the situation.

Flight delay and cancellation: passenger rights and airline responsibilities

On flights of foreign carriers Russian rules apply if this is explicitly written in the contract. If not, then the rules of the carrier’s country and, possibly, the rules of international treaties signed by this country apply (for example, EU Regulation No. 261/2004 on flights to the European Union).

or cancel the flight and return the full cost of the unused part of the ticket: in case of cancellation and overbooking - in any case, in case of transfer - only after 5 hours of delay. If the flight is connecting and the remaining flight is no longer meaningful, then the money will be refunded for all parts of the ticket and delivered free of charge to the original airport of departure.

“Under the Montreal Convention, the airline compensates for damage caused to a passenger due to flight delays, damage or loss of luggage. The amount of damage is calculated individually for each passenger. This could be, for example, taxi and hotel costs. For confirmation, the passenger attaches checks and receipts&

There are no uniform rules that all Asian airlines follow. Laws differ in different countries Moreover, the rights of passengers when flights are canceled or delayed are usually vaguely specified, so the rules are often set by the carriers themselves. To know what to expect, read your airline's rules carefully.

In China Most airlines, including Air China and China Southern Airlines, pay compensation of 200 yuan for a flight delay of 4-8 hours and 400 yuan for a delay of more than 8 hours. In the minority are airlines that only compensate for delays of more than 8 hours, which pay a maximum of 300 or 200 yuan, or even do not compensate at all.

When traveling around Egypt on board EgyptAir and the flight is canceled or delayed, the airline undertakes, at your choice, to either put you on the next flight free of charge or refund the full cost of the ticket. If the fare for a seat on a new flight is lower than the fare at which you originally purchased your ticket, you will be refunded the difference.

Kingdom of Morocco In 2006, it signed an agreement with the European Union under which all Moroccan airlines, including Royal Air Maroc and Air Arabia, are subject to Regulation 261/2004. This means that if your flight to Morocco is delayed or canceled, you can count on compensation under European laws.

If your SAA flight is cancelled, you will be offered a free alternative flight or a full refund. If the flight was initially delayed and you managed to use the food and hotel services, if the flight is cancelled, the airline will reimburse you for food, hotel and transportation expenses for the first 24 hours.

If you are forcibly removed from a South African Airways flight due to overbooking, you are entitled to a free ticket on the next SAA flight to your destination, a meal voucher for delays of more than 2-4 hours depending on the route, and a voucher for 1000-5000 South African rands (

83–416 $) depending on the waiting time - they can be used to pay for air tickets or other services of the leading South African airline. If a new flight departs on the next day, you will also receive free meals, two phone calls, faxes or emails, hotel accommodations and transfers between the hotel and the airport.

If a flight is canceled or delayed, you have the right to cancel the flight, return the ticket and receive the full price back, even if it was purchased at a non-refundable fare. This is called a forced return. You are not entitled to compensation for delayed arrival.

“In practice, passengers apply for a forced return when waiting for a flight for more than 2–3 hours. Everyone understands that in the event of a forced return, they will have to spend their nerves, time and money on buying a new ticket and, possibly, incur other expenses on the spot, and then recover all this from the airline through the court.”

In Asia refund conditions depend on the airline, for example, AirAsia will refund the ticket if the flight was canceled or delayed for more than 3 hours. In India, if an airline cancels a flight and does not offer a replacement, it is required to refund the full price of the ticket and pay compensation of 400% of the base fare price and one-way fuel surcharge, up to a maximum of Rs 20,000.

In Russia, get a stamp on your boarding pass or an itinerary receipt about a canceled or delayed flight. This can be done from an airline representative or at the information desk at the airport of departure or arrival. In America such a stamp is not needed, in Europe - only if boarding is denied due to overbooking;

If your airline does not have a representative office at the airport or its employees are not on site (for example, everything happens at night), you can also submit a claim through the carrier’s official website. Just be prepared for the fact that emails and requests via web forms may be ignored. Follow up with your request by calling the airline.

If there were two tickets, that is, you paid for the Moscow-London and London-Edinburgh flights separately, then you will only be able to return the amount for the canceled sector. In this case, a ticket from London to Edinburgh will have to be returned according to the usual fare rules. Read what to do then and how to get your money back.

If a connecting flight was purchased with one ticket and the cancellation affected the second part of the trip, you must be provided with alternative flight options. If the airline did not do this, and the trip became meaningless, the carrier is obliged not only to return the money for the ticket to Edinburgh, but also to provide you with a free return to Moscow.

Even if you bought your tickets from a travel agency, your claim must be filed with the airline that was supposed to operate the flight. The agency through which you purchased the tickets can help with this: it happens that intermediaries take on the responsibility of solving passengers’ problems and deal with the carriers themselves. With some agents, insurance against non-departure and flight delays can be included in the ticket price.

Russian legislation does not establish exact deadlines for refunds in case of forced cancellation of a flight or payment of compensation and fines in the event of a significant flight delay. Therefore, each airline operates within its own guidelines for what constitutes a reasonable period.

We recommend that you immediately be persistent in negotiations with the airline - most such disputes are resolved pre-trial. You should file a claim against the airline only if you have exhausted all attempts to resolve everything amicably and there are irreconcilable differences between you. Protecting your interests in court is not easy.

Don't be greedy and don't try to take advantage of unfortunate circumstances: this can turn against you. For example, if you stayed in a suite and had a lobster dinner because of a flight delay, you will have to prove the necessity of these expenses in court, which is unlikely to be possible. If you behave correctly, airlines often reciprocate.

The terms and scope of services are generally established in the contract of carriage, and airline representatives are responsible for their reasonable interpretation on site. This usually means food (not necessarily hot) after a 4 hour delay and a hotel and transport to it if you had to stay at the airport overnight. Airlines usually do not provide hotel accommodation when departing from the city where you live.

When you buy a ticket from an American airline, you enter into a Contract of Carriage, which clearly states what rights you have if your flight is canceled or delayed. The contract cannot conflict with consumer protection standards, so basic rights (for example, to get a refund for the unused portion of the ticket) are the same on all American airlines.

The basic rules in Asia and Africa are similar to those described above: if a flight is canceled or severely delayed, you will almost always be offered a refund for your ticket or flight on another flight at no additional cost. When food will be provided, whether a hotel will be provided and whether compensation will be paid depends on the country and even on the specific airline.

In Russia, you are required to put a stamp about the cancellation or delay of your flight on your itinerary receipt or boarding pass. It is worth asking for it from an airline employee or at the information desk at the airport of departure or arrival. In Europe, this stamp is not required for flight cancellations or delays, but be sure to obtain one if you are denied boarding due to overbooking.

Dear Ivan Petrov! Your flight with booking code MYE6KC has been cancelled. We have booked another flight for you Moscow–Barnaul, number 6E 495, September 21, 16:40 - 20:40. We ask you to follow the link to accept the proposed flight, choose an alternative or cancel the flight and get a refund. Thank you!

Click on the link in the letter or enter the PNR booking code in the “View / Change my booking” field on the airline’s website and see all the flights that are offered to you as a replacement. Sometimes airlines ask you to call a call center, where the operator will tell you the same thing. You may be offered a flight with connections, on other dates and even to other cities, but in any case - at no extra charge.

If your flight is canceled when you are already at the airport, contact your airline representative. They will offer a replacement flight (possibly with a different airline) as well as airport service. If you are not satisfied with the new flights, you have the right to return your ticket and get its full cost back. If you are not offered another flight, ask directly about this option.

If your flight is delayed when you are already at the airport, contact your airline representative. If the delay is long, the airline may offer alternative flight options, in some cases with an additional charge. You can also issue a forced return: in Europe - if the delay is more than 5 hours; in Russia and the USA, the minimum duration of the delay is not established.

If the flight is delayed for more than 2 hours, the airline must provide free drinks, two phone calls or two emails. If you are traveling with children under seven years old, you must also be offered a mother and child room.

There is no law in America requiring an airline to provide passengers whose flights are canceled or delayed with meals and hotels. Despite this, most airlines serve passengers. Usually after a 4-hour delay they offer food, and if you had to wait for your flight at night, they provide a hotel and transport to and from it free of charge. What exactly you can expect is written in the contract of carriage.

The main condition for payment of compensation is that the flight must be canceled or delayed due to circumstances for which the airline is responsible. For example, for technical reasons, absence of an aircraft, crew, changes in the schedule not related to force majeure circumstances.

The influence of force majeure circumstances (for example, bad weather or a strike) must be proven by the airline. In this case, the airline does not have to pay compensation, but is obliged to carry out transportation and service at the airport, or return the full cost of the ticket if the passenger refuses transportation.

The amount for compensation of losses under paragraph 2 of Article 13 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Consumer Rights”. For example, if you lost a pre-paid tour or concert tickets, if the carrier changed the airport of arrival and you had to get to the place by taxi, just do not forget to save supporting documents.
In some cases, money is returned for a burned connection ticket and the purchase of a new one.

“In fact, overbooking for a passenger who does not fly because of it is a change in the existing contract of carriage with new conditions, which, as a rule, provide compensation for the passenger: for example, new ticket business class, free hotel, transfer or additional monetary compensation. Quite often one of the passengers is ready to take advantage of this.”

In the case of overbooking, a European airline must look for volunteers willing to fly on a different flight or to receive a full refund of the ticket price. The carrier decides at its own discretion what to offer volunteers as compensation for inconvenience.

If there are no volunteers, the airline can deny boarding to any passenger it chooses. In this case, the passenger must be paid compensation of 250 € for flights up to 1500 km, 400 € for intra-EU flights over 1500 km and for all flights from 1500 to 3500 km, 600 € for all others.

In America, if a flight has sold more tickets and more passengers have boarded than there are seats on the plane, the airline first looks for volunteers willing to fly on another flight, offering them compensation at its discretion. This could be, for example, free food and hotel while waiting for a proposed replacement, plus a $500 voucher that can be used towards future travel.

If there are no volunteers, the airline can deny boarding to any passenger it chooses. In most cases, such passengers are transferred to other flights and are also required by law to pay compensation of up to $1,350, depending on the delay to their destination airport.

There are no uniform rules that all Asian airlines follow. Laws differ in different countries, and the rights of passengers when flights are canceled or delayed are usually

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today and tomorrow. Rain and wind in Moscow led to the delay of 20 flights and the delay of another 28. This is evidenced by data from the Yandex.Schedule service. As of 18:30 Moscow time, due to bad weather, 20 flights were unable to take off from Domodedovo Airport. Another 12 are delayed.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today - Domodedovo

At Domodedovo Airport, flight 6W 765 from Moscow to Saratov was scheduled to take off at 12:30. As a result, the plane will take off at 21:00. Flight 6W 775 from the capital to Saratov is delayed for five hours (the departure was scheduled for 16:50, but the flight will take place only at 22:00).

Two flights S7 97 and SQ 1935 from the capital to Ufa are slightly late - departure will take place at 18:18 (originally at 17:45). Flight S7 949 to Varna will depart with a delay of 20 minutes (18:50 - 19:05). Plane 6W 70 from Moscow to Penza is delayed by more than an hour - departure is scheduled for 20:50 (19:35 initially). Flight 6W 763 to Saratov was moved to 01:00 from 21:15. Flight NN 185 to Novosibirsk was also postponed by 45 minutes.
One flight 5 °F 124 to Chisinau was cancelled.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today - Sheremetyevo

16 flights were delayed at Sheremetyevo airport. Two flights from Moscow to Sochi; two flights to Madrid; one and Malaga; two to Kaliningrad; one in Tokyo; two to Shanghai; one to Berlin; one in Blagoveshchensk; one in Almaty; two in Kemerovo and one in Nizhnekamsk.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today - Vnukovo

According to the service, flights from Vnukovo and Zhukovsky operate without delays.

In Moscow, due to rain and wind, two dozen flights were delayed at Moscow airports, almost the same number were cancelled, and there are no diversions to alternate airfields yet.

“Despite the bad weather, visibility at the capital’s airports is sufficient for normal takeoff and landing. Taking into account the all-weather class of airports, aircraft commanders independently decide whether to land at a particular airport or not, but so far no diversions to alternate airfields have been recorded,” - a source in air traffic control services told Interfax on Monday.

Weather forecast in Moscow

Earlier on Monday, weather forecasters warned of a sharp deterioration in the weather. As Interfax was told by the capital's weather bureau, from 12.00 to 21.00, rain and strong winds with gusts of 15 m per second and higher are expected in Moscow. According to the forecast of Roshydromet, up to 12 mm of rain may fall in places on Monday in Moscow, and up to 2 mm of precipitation may fall on Tuesday night. In total, in the city in the next 24 hours, the increase in precipitation in some places can reach up to 14 mm, or about a fifth of the monthly precipitation norm, which in June is 75 mm.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today. Reasons for flight cancellations

Of course, canceling a flight is an unpleasant procedure. However, this is not always the fault of the air carrier. Before demanding compensation for a canceled flight from the company's representative office, it is necessary to clarify the reason for the incident.

Flight cancellation is the airline's fault if:

there are inconsistencies in the schedule;
the aircraft crew does not have time to prepare the aircraft or clean it before departure;
the passenger was not registered due to overbooking (i.e., more seats were sold than actually available on the plane);
the flight is unprofitable for the enterprise;
the carrier cannot provide evidence or explanations for the reasons for failure to fulfill its obligations.

The carrier is not to blame if the cancellation is caused by the following circumstances:

weather conditions;
natural disasters;
hostilities;
introduction of martial law in the country;
imposing bans and restrictions on cargo transportation along certain routes;
strike of airline employees;
aircraft defects that pose a threat to the lives of passengers.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today. What should I do?

So what should you do if your flight is cancelled? First of all, you need to contact a representative of the air carrier and get an explanation of the reason for the cancellation. As a rule, the representative office will immediately offer you alternative option flight. However, companies are not always ready to send their passengers to their destination on the same day, so sometimes they offer refunds. We will talk about this in detail below. The passenger must record the date and time when the flight cancellation announcement took place.

If the cancellation occurred several days before

What should I do if the airline cancels my flight a few days before the expected departure date? In this situation, passengers have the right to demand:

replace tickets (draw up an alternative transportation route);
return the money (if the airline has accepted responsibility).

It is important to note that a transit passenger has more rights. The fact is that the responsibility of the air carrier is determined by the legislation of the state in which the passenger arrives in transit. In the United Kingdom, for example, if the cancellation of a flight inevitably led to the disruption of the purpose of the trip (a business meeting did not take place, the passenger missed a competition), the British carrier provides a free flight to the Russian Federation.

If the passenger finds out about this on the day of departure

What to do if your flight is canceled on the day of departure? The first thing the company representative will suggest in this case is to re-register travel documents on another flight. If flights from the airport of departure on a particular route are operated by only one carrier, the passenger will have to wait for the next flight. Sometimes this may take several hours or days.

If another airline is ready to transport passengers, then two options are possible:

free re-issuance of a ticket if the cancellation was due to the fault of the carrier;
re-issuance of a ticket with an additional payment if the carrier is not at fault.

According to Russian law, for every hour of waiting for an alternative flight, the carrier undertakes to pay compensation. Its size is 3% of the air ticket price + 25% of the minimum wage. The same law states that the maximum fine cannot be more than half the price of the air ticket, even if the wait lasted a relatively long time.

In Europe, the amount of compensation depends on the waiting period and usually ranges from 100 to 600 euros. The number of days in which the company warned the passenger about the cancellation also plays a significant role.

The situation with flight cancellations in the United States is completely different. Each air carrier has the right to set its own rules. In the USA, ticket exchange is carried out at the expense of the passengers themselves. Tickets can be exchanged for free only due to overbooking.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today. Refunds for air tickets

If an unpleasant situation occurred on the territory of the Russian Federation, then Russian legislation will apply here. If in another country, then, accordingly, the return will be carried out according to local laws.

In order to get your money back, you must first file a written claim with the airline. The following documents must be attached to the claim:

copies of air tickets;
copies boarding passes(if available);
tickets for an event planned during the trip;
copies of hotel reservations.

A transit passenger (if the route involved several transfers) can receive compensation both for an individual segment and for the entire compound round trip flight. If the passenger purchased two separate tickets, compensation will only be for the canceled flight.

In Russia, the carrier is required to provide a refund for a canceled flight within a 30-day period. For European airlines, this period has been reduced to 7 days. If the refund has not been made, the passenger has the right to file a claim in court.

Tickets for charter flights are usually sold by travel agencies. It is they who will return the money for the flight.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today. Providing an alternative route

Air carriers in 90% of cases offer passengers an alternative to a canceled flight. These may be flights of other carriers, with transfers, with a changed date and time of departure. Options are offered depending on the availability of available seats on the requested aircraft. It is important to note that the departure point cannot be changed.

If the passenger agrees to an alternative route, his tickets will be reissued at the airline's expense. When the departure time of the original and alternative flights do not coincide, passengers are provided with compensation, as in the case of a plane delay.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today. If the charter is canceled

As mentioned above, tickets for charter flights are sold by travel agencies. Therefore, in the event of flight cancellations, all responsibility falls on the shoulders of these organizations. Please note: compensation related to flight delays and cancellations must be specified in the service agreement.

Cancellation of flights in Moscow today. Where and when to complain?

What to do if your flight is canceled and your rights are violated? In all situations, legal proceedings take place in the country where the incident took place. You can file a claim directly at the airport of departure. If there is no office of a specific air carrier at the airport, a claim can be submitted through its website. It is also possible to send a claim by registered mail to the company's representative office.

If the carrier does not return the money for the canceled flight or violates the rights of the passenger, you can file a claim in court within six months. The application must be accompanied by a copy of the claim and all documentation related to the flight.

Not all tourists know what to do if their flight is cancelled. In the absence of an official appeal to airport employees, no one will offer compensation or other services prescribed in the code. Therefore, it is worth knowing what you can count on if your paid flight is delayed or completely cancelled.

Modern legislation tries to protect the interests of passengers as much as possible and give them more chances in disputes with airlines. And yet, people often do not know what exactly they are supposed to receive in certain cases. Therefore, we will describe the information in as much detail as possible.

Who's to blame?

There are different reasons why a flight may be cancelled. It is important to distinguish between those for which the carrier itself is to blame and force majeure that affected not only your plans, but also the airline’s work schedule. So, you can count on compensation and other bonuses only in the following cases:

Incorrect flight schedule, inconsistencies.
The plane's crew did not prepare the cabin in time.
When overbooking, that is, when more tickets are sold than there are seats.
If the owners of the company decide that this flight is not financially profitable.
Other situations in which airport staff cannot provide a clear explanation as to why the flight is delayed.

But it also happens that there is no one to blame for the flight cancellation, and both parties suffer losses. You need to clearly understand in which cases you cannot demand any compensation or compensation from the airline:

if the flight is impossible due to the weather, for example, heavy rain or snow, blizzard, hail, etc.;
natural disasters (hurricane, earthquake, volcanic eruption);
martial law was declared in the country;
cases of terrorist attack;
upon termination or significant limitation of the amount of permissible cargo;
airport or airline staff strikes;
serious technical problems with the aircraft that threaten the lives of all passengers.

What can you expect?

If the flight is cancelled, then you need to contact the check-in desk and find out the reason. When a flight is canceled by an airline due to its fault, then there are several options for what you can claim:

Refund of the ticket, its full cost or partial compensation for moral damage. There are many situations here that are different from each other.
Offering an alternative to how to get to your destination - the services of another carrier, a flight at a different time or day, a changed route, for example, with transfers.

It is advisable for you to record in any available way the very fact of cancellation or delay of the flight. To do this, make a note on the ticket at the check-in counter at the airport, receive the appropriate certificate, and you can take a photo electronic scoreboard, which indicates that the flight has been cancelled.

In this case, airline employees are obliged to immediately offer several options for an alternative route, change tickets for free, or you can apply for a refund and compensation. The exact rules by which this is done depend on the country where the flight was cancelled.

In Russia, the “General Rules of Air Transportation” and the “Air Code” apply in this regard. There are also differences in internal laws for each airline. More often, budget companies initially indicate that they completely disclaim any responsibility for a disrupted flight. In European countries, the Montreal Convention and other local laws apply that provide for a more loyal attitude towards passengers.

So, if a flight is canceled while traveling within Russian Federation, then the Air Code promises to return compensation in the amount of 25% of the minimum wage, but not more than half the cost of the ticket itself. For 2017, the minimum wage was 7,800 rubles. That is, your expectations may be quite modest.

If it was international flight, then, according to the Montreal Convention, the carrier is obliged to pay compensation, which is calculated at the special borrowing rate (SDR). Currently, the maximum amount of such payment is 380,000 rubles.

When purchasing tickets with a transfer, losses can be reimbursed for the entire route at once. But if you purchased separate sections independent of each other, then more often compensation is paid only for that part of the journey where the flight was cancelled. In Europe, the amount of payments may differ depending on how many days you were warned about this and the distance of the flight. More often the amount ranges from 100-600 euros.

In case of long flight delay

If you are already at the airport and your flight is delayed for some time, then, regardless of the reason for the circumstances, you are entitled to some additional services:

When waiting for a plane for two hours, passengers are provided with drinks, but not alcoholic ones. You can also use the phone and make two calls lasting no more than five minutes or send two emails.
If you have to wait for your flight for more than 4 hours in a row due to a delay due to objective circumstances, then all passengers are required to be given a hot meal. And if you wait longer, it is served every 6-8 hours.
If the flight is delayed by 8 hours during the day or 6 hours at night, a hotel room is provided. And you have every right to demand separate room so as not to live with strangers. In addition, the airline pays for transfer to the hotel and back.
When traveling with children under 7 years of age, the staff is required to open the mother and child room.

All these privileges are not given automatically. You will have to demand them and independently remind the airport staff of such responsibilities. Therefore, even before taking a flight, it is better to check all consumer protection laws and study the Air Code in order to know exactly what you can count on in various unforeseen situations.

Will the money be returned?

With the same delays in European countries, airlines promise to compensate for moral damages in the form of monetary compensation. Its dimensions differ depending on the travel distance and the duration of the flight delay:

If you wait three hours or less at the airport for a plane, you will not receive any payments.
But if this time lasts longer, and the flight is made at a distance of up to 1500 km, then the compensation is 250 euros.
With more long-haul flight it increases to 400.
A slightly smaller cash payment (300 euros) is issued to those who had a ticket in a direction of about 3500 km, and had to wait from 3 to 4 hours.
If the delay occurs for 4 hours or longer, and the distance to the final destination is at least 3,500 km, then you can expect to pay a maximum amount of 600 euros.

There is a rule according to which when long delay for a flight longer than five hours, the airline is obliged to pay the full cost of the ticket.

It is important that the application for compensation is made in the exact country where the delay or cancellation of the flight occurred. It must be submitted as early as possible. Each airline has its own terms for processing such claims, and refunds are made within a week or a month from the date of application.

At the same time, write a statement and collect all documents confirming that you have suffered losses:

copies of tickets or boarding passes;
other papers proving that due to a flight cancellation you missed an important event (concert, competition);
hotel reservation, etc.

Along with this, you must provide copies of your passport, and you can also attach a photo of a board with information about the delay or cancellation of the flight to your application. It is important to submit your complaint in writing because an email or verbal conversation with airport officials is not considered a formal complaint.

Sometimes you have to prove your case through court. Although major international airlines try to refund the cost of tickets before a legal dispute, if you submit your claim within the stipulated time and provide all the evidence. In the case where air tickets were purchased through a travel agency, as well as in case of cancellation charter flight, you should expect compensation from your tour operator.

Special third-party services also deal with similar issues, for example, Refund.me and others. They help to file all claims in the required form and achieve payment. But they will require a fee for their services, which is usually about 25% of the amount paid. If compensation for losses cannot be achieved, then no payment is made.

Video: what to do if your plane is cancelled?

Overbooking

Quite often, a situation occurs when you cannot be boarded on a flight due to the sale of more tickets than expected. Airline employees assume this on the assumption that some passengers cancel the flight at the last minute. In this case, a person may arrive at the airport to check in and find that all the seats are already taken. What to do in this case?

Then they offer the following solutions to the problem:

If there are free seats in business class, you will be transferred to the best part of the cabin at no additional cost.
They will offer to change the flight to a similar one.
If it is impossible to complete the first and second steps, the airport employee is obliged to put a special note on the ticket with which you apply for compensation for losses.

To prevent such a situation, it is better to start checking in for your flight as soon as the opportunity opens. To do this, arrive at the airport in advance or use an online service with which you can complete this procedure without even leaving your home.

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