Passengers have the right to complain about flight incidents such as cancellations, delays, denied boarding due to overbooking, and re-routing, all of which oblige airlines to respond to user complaints.
The imminent summer will be marked by a new edition of the Olympic Games, significantly affecting air traffic in Europe, particularly in France. In addition to the usual summer holiday flights, many trips will be scheduled for the big event in Paris. Early estimates at the end of February indicated a 125% increase in bookings, with the highest passenger traffic expected from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Spain.
The technology company AirHelp compiled data on air arrivals in Paris last summer (between 26 July and 11 August). Over 7,000 arrivals were recorded, transporting more than one million people, of which approximately 48% did not land at the scheduled time. Of the 1,250 flights from Spain during these two weeks, 56% were on schedule. Charles de Gaulle and Orly were the primary reference airports.
Considering the punctuality of French airports, which did not exceed 65% of flights on time during July and August 2023, the performance of Parisian airports contributed to worsening the figures, with more than 400 flights per day during this period.
Under European Union rules, airlines must comply with several obligations when passengers experience problems on their flight:
- The right to be informed about the status of their flight.
- The airline must provide an alternative flight to the destination or full reimbursement in all situations of denied boarding, cancellation, or missed connection.
- After a few hours of delay (2 to 4) or cancellation, airlines must provide food and drink to users.
- In overnight delays, airlines must offer affected passengers a hotel for the night and transport to and from their accommodation.
- In the event of a cancellation, overbooking, missed connection, or delay of more than 5 hours, the passenger can claim a full refund of their ticket and be reimbursed for any additional costs resulting from the journey’s interruption.
- If there is a re-routing, the passenger is offered the choice between a full refund and another flight.
- Compensation of up to 600 euros per person each way for delays of more than 3 hours, cancellations less than 14 days before departure, or denied boarding due to overbooking, schedule changes, or missed connections resulting in a delay of more than 3 hours from the expected arrival time.
Extraordinary circumstances do not count towards these obligations. It is recommended to keep all airline communications, flight documentation, and purchase receipts.
