Compensation on rescheduling by the airline...?

nagevnagev

Hi,

I would appreciate some clarification on the rules here please...

If an airline makes a "scheduled" change to a flight at short notice (under 14 days), that results in a delay from the original arrival time of more than 3 hours (let's assume the trip here is longer than 3,500km), is compensation due? Or is an airline "getting away with it" by rescheduling flights to sort out any expected delays in their timetables?

What happens if a flight is rescheduled which results in a longer stopover time for an ongoing internal connecting flight (booked with the same airline on the same ticket), is the airline expected to cover meals, or what if the stopover becomes longer (i.e. there's only one connecting flight a day to the destination), would they be expected to cover a hotel until the next available flight?

Unless I'm missing something, I feel airlines can use rescheduling as a way to get around compensation? Hopefully I am wrong!

Hoenir

nagevnagev said:

Or is an airline "getting away with it" by rescheduling flights to sort out any expected delays in their timetables?

Planes aren't allowed to just take off and land when they wish. Scheduling requires a number of factors to come together. Not least maximum efficiency in the use of the plane and the crew. 

JPears

If your arrival time is more than 3 hrs (depending on the distance by "Great Circle method") later than the time when you booked it, compensation is due.

If you post the exact details of your original booking and the rescheduled flights we might be able to provide more help.

mdann52

JPears said:

If your arrival time is more than 3 hrs (depending on the distance by "Great Circle method") later than the time when you booked it, compensation is due.

If you post the exact details of your original booking and the rescheduled flights we might be able to provide more help.

If it's a cancellation and reroute, they don't have to pay compensation if the rerouting arrives 2 hours earlier or 4 hours later if rescheduled between 7-14 days before, or between 1 hour earlier or 2 hours later if rescheduled less than 7 days in advance.

The cancellation restarts the 261 clock so to speak, so after the cancellation the times of the original flight don't matter, and the 3 hour rule doesn't apply. However, this means that double compensation, for an additional delay after a reroute, is possible.