Following Wednesday’s travel chaos at Findel airport, our colleagues from RTL Infos have taken a look at the compensation to which travellers might be entitled as numerous flights were either delayed, diverted, or cancelled due to runway damage.
In case of cancellations, passengers are entitled to either a refund or an alternative flight. Assistance is provided and they are offered “refreshments, a meal, or even accommodation and transfer to accommodation if an overnight stay is necessary while waiting for the proposed alternative flight”, according to the Directorate for Consumer Protection.
In case of delays, passengers are entitled to refreshments and meals if the delay exceeds two hours. Failing this requisite, passengers may request reimbursement of the costs incurred, provided they can show proof of this.
The Directorate for Consumer Protection specifies that because the disruptions were caused by what is classified as an “exceptional circumstance” (runway damage, in this case, is beyond the airlines’ control), no additional compensation is owed by the airlines.
On Wednesday, the runway at Findel airport was temporarily closed for repairs, which lasted well into the afternoon, leading to the cancellation of several flights and delays for 15 others. To not bring the airport to a complete halt, some take-offs continued, but landings had to be diverted to other airports, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded or unable to board their flights.
Read also: What to do when your flights don’t turn out the way they should
