How would the airline carrier compensate if the change in flight schedule breaks my entire itinerary?
I planned a trip to Europe this December and booked the flights quite in advance. A few days ago they sent an email informing me that a flight has been cancelled and they offered a different flight or refund of the booking amount. However there are several other booked flights (with different carriers) and hotel bookings which would suffer because of this change.
Here's my itinerary:-
- Delhi (DEL) to Milan (MXP), Air Italy, dep. Sunday, 6am India time
- Milan (MXP) to Rome (FCO), Air Italy, dep. Sunday 12.45pm Italy time
- Rome (CIA) to Athens (ATH), Ryanair, dep. Monday, 10am Italy time
Return:
Athens (ATH) to Rome(CIA), Ryanair, Thursday
Rome (FCO) to Milan (MXP), Air Italy, dep Friday, 9.40am Italy time
Milan (MXP) to Delhi (DEL), Air Italy, dep Friday, 4pm Italy time
Delhi (DEL) to Hyderabad (HYD), Indigo, dep Sunday
Of course the onward and return journey is separated by a few weeks. Not mentioning the dates due to privacy reasons.
They informed about two cancellations: Delhi to Milan (onward - Sunday) and Milan to Delhi (return Friday)
However they offer these flights on different days which totally break my itinerary which might cause me missing the connections of good amount of money to get other flights rescheduled.
I tried to communicate with them but
- Sent messages on whatsapp but I'm not receiving response after one reply
- Sent a couple of email on separate days but didn't get a reply
- Couldn't get connected on Phone.
It is causing a lot of stress.
What can I do about it?
I'd like to know what are my rights regarding how airlines is bound to (1) attend to customer communications, (2) offer multiple alternatives which do not break the itinerary, and (3) offer additional compensation for additional costs involved (hotels, other flights re-schdeuled).
Best Answer
I'm afraid that, because you booked your Air Italy and Ryanair flights separately, your connections are not the airline's concern.
Air Italy is obliged to offer you a choice between alternative transport to your destination (which does not have to be on the same days etc) or a full refund. That's it. You can try to negotiate for better flights than the ones they're offering you, maybe even an alternative connection straight to Athens, but at the end of the day you can't force them. You are not entitled to any compensation.
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Can you get refund if airline changes schedule?
Schedule Change/Significant Delay - A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline made a significant schedule change and/or significantly delays a flight and the consumer chooses not to travel.Can airlines change your flight without compensation?
Except in the case of "minor flight schedule change", you can get a refund when the airline modifies the schedule of your flight. In other words, you're entitled to a refund in cases of "significant flight schedule change" and flight cancellations.What rights do I have if my flight time is changed?
If there's been a significant schedule change to your itinerary and you no longer want to take your flight, you're entitled to a refund. Unfortunately, during the coronavirus pandemic, there have been a lot of instances of airlines refusing to issue refunds.When should an airline compensate you?
The airline is required to compensate you for a canceled flight if you were notified less than 14 days before your original scheduled departure date. However, compensation is not required if the airline proves that extraordinary circumstances (e.g., weather) caused the cancellation.How An Airline's Flight Schedule Change Can Open Opportunities For A Better Flight
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Answer 2
Your only option is to pick an earlier flight so your itinerary is not messed up.
In Europe we have usually a very good compensation system for denied boarding and cancelled flights. You can check up on the rules if you search for passenger rights.
SADLY, it does not apply to you, since you have booked each flight on their own and also the airline informed you well ahead of time (> 14 days)
The General rules for refunds in Europe are as follows (Any flight leaving Europe and any European Airline flying to Europe):
Cancelation < 14 days of flight / denied boarding (even with alternate flights, but refunds may be reduced if you get there in time) / Flight Delayed >3 H :
- full refund AND compensation based on distance traveled between 250 and 650 € (Cash, not vouchers)
- Hotel in case of needed overnight
- food/phone calls in case of delay >3h
Claiming these benefits you need to contact the executing airline. I suggest you do not use any 3rd party website in order to claim, since they take a cut of the refunds and its only 2 emails or so to get the compensation.
Unforseen events may void this. Plane breakdowns are not unforseens/unexpected since they happen all the time.
Answer 3
Assuming you paid 'Air Italy' just once, the good news is that your contract with 'Air Italy' is to get you from Delhi to Rome and back again. If they cancelled the DEL-MXP legs, they should be offering you an alternative. They have NO responsibility for the Ryanair flights or the Indigo flight to Hyderabad, assuming you paid separately for these. If 'Air Italy' can reschedule you to arrive in Rome before the Ryanair flight to Athens (and also reschedule your departure from Rome after your Ryanair flight arrives), you might be able to keep the other flights.
To echo some of the other replies and comments: Why would you want to fly such a complex routing, when many airlines seem to offer Delhi to Athens with just a single stop? A complex routing like this is big a chance for something to go wrong: delays, cancellations, lost luggage, endless hanging around in foreign airports, and perhaps the need for a transit visa as well. An added complication is that once in Rome, you would need to collect your luggage, transfer to another airport and check in your luggage again. Also, if you are a non-EU passport holder, flying Ryanair has the added difficulty of needing to visit their special desk so your visa can be 'validated' before they will let you board.
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