Flight cancellations and passengers’ rights
Q: My return flight from Heraklion to London scheduled for 27 August got cancelled by Lufthansa. I have not been given a reason why. The alternative flight is now scheduled for 30 August. No compensation for additional accommodation costs has been offered. What do I do?
“Goldfish 1”
A: Sorry to hear it. You have made an interesting choice of airline to travel between Crete and the UK. This difficult summer, with so much disruption to flights, it is increasingly clear that any itinerary that requires a change of plane is especially susceptible to being messed around. (Also, a connection in Frankfurt, Munich or any other airport sharply increases the chance of checked luggage going astray.)
Having said that, the strong view of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is that you should be offered a flight on the same day on any airline that has seats available. While none on 27 August will get you to Heathrow (where I presume you were heading), easyJet can fly you to Gatwick, Jet2 to Stansted and Wizz Air to Luton.
In theory, at least according to the CAA, Lufthansa should discuss with you which option suits you best and then pay for the ticket. However, with a flight originating in Greece on a German airline, it could be tricky to press home this view – if you are going to try, it will be greatly to your advantage if the trip on Lufthansa began in the UK.
It may be, of course, that you are not unhappy about extending your trip by three days and talking the rescheduled itinerary you have been offered. But in that case Lufthansa must certainly provide accommodation for you – or confirm that it will pay for a room that you source for yourself.
In any event, do ask for €400 in compensation for the disarray, as stipulated under European air passengers’ rights rules; it is down to Lufthansa to prove why it is not liable to pay out.
Q: I was booked on Wizz Air from Luton to Lisbon on the evening 22 June 2022, departing at 6.30pm. The airline told me by email that departure was postponed to 8.40pm.
Based on the table of entitlements they provided, I bought a meal and then submitted my receipt to claim back the cost. I was told that as the plane arrived 108 minutes late at Lisbon, I cannot get compensation. It sounds odd that delays should be measured relative to arrival time – which of course is impossible to know before departure. Is this wrong?
Albert Ohadi
A: I can see the flight was eventually delayed in…
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