Wizz Air EU261 Claim Advice

twister_teddy

I Booked Wizz Air flights (LGW-AGP, 18-26 Dec) for 4 with Barclaycard in January. Between April-December, I got 12 Wizz schedule change emails as most of which were minor few minutes schedule changes, so I stopped reading them properly

Then:

• 10 Oct: They moved outbound to one full day earlier to 17 Dec (didn't notice, didn't accept)
• 11 Dec (7 days before flight): Rescheduled again to 17 Dec
• 16 Dec (2 days before flight): Logged in, flight already has now moved to 17 Dec. Called them, said I can't fly that day. They then offered to move it to 19 Dec without me formally accepting. 
• Last minute: Booked BA flights instead to avoid abandoning the trip

It seems that the originally booked outbound flight for 18th Dec did no longer operate which is why I was offered alternative flights. 

I tried submitting formal EU261 claim. Wizz rejected it, redirected me to their complaints form, which has zero option for EU261 claims, only baggage/booking stuff.

Wizz says 14 day notice starts from 10 Oct. But the final material notification (11 Dec) was only 7 days before departure. Under EU261 Article 5, that's the notification that matters, so full compensation applies (€400 × 4 = €1,600)?

What below be my best plan of action in that order?

• Where and how do I raise EU261 claim if I can
• Section 75 claim with Barclaycard
• Chargeback if needed

Is EU261 the right route here? Have others dealt with this? Any tips on the claim sequence?

PS: Note that I have comprehensive travel insurance with AMEX Platinum credit card, however since Wizz flights wasn't booked on AMEX (they didn't accept amex) so the AMEX may not proceed with the claim. 

Caz3121

with the timings it appears this is related to the schedule changes from summer to winter timetable.
for the winter (starting end October) it appears that the LGW-AGP route is Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun so your original flight booked for a Thursday would not be operating. These schedules would have been finalised around the time you were notified of the change to the 17th
You mention the flight on the 18th went without you but there does not appear to have been one
I don't think you will get far with compensation as you were notified over 14 days before although there may be a claim for the difference in price between your original Wizz flights and the BA ones as they should offer you refund or rerouting...did you inform them that neither the 17th nor 19th were suitable or did you just no-show for the 19th?

twister_teddy

Caz3121 said:

You mention the flight on the 18th went without you but there does not appear to have been one

Thanks for highlighting, you're correct that originally booked outbound flight for 18th Dec did no longer operate which is why I was offered alternative flights. I have corrected my original post. 

I informed them that neither the 17th nor 19th were suitable AND I did no-show for the 19th and the return leg on 26th too. I flew both legs with BA instead. 

twister_teddy

Does anyone know how can I raise a complaint for wizz air

bagand96

You need to get straight what you are claiming. If they notified you of the "reschedule" on 10th October, then they're correct to say its more than 14 days before the flight so compensation under EC261 isn't due. 

However when your flight is cancelled you are entitled to your choice of rerouting or a refund.

Rerouting isn't restricted to the airline's own services so if Wizzair's alternatives aren't suitable you can ask to be put on another airline.

In practice this usually means booking yourself and claiming back. You should be able to claim expenses from Wizz for the cost of the BA replacement flights. 

twister_teddy

bagand96 said:

You should be able to claim expenses from Wizz for the cost of the BA replacement flights. 

What channel to use? I just can't get through to them

bagand96

twister_teddy said:

bagand96 said:

You should be able to claim expenses from Wizz for the cost of the BA replacement flights. 

What channel to use? I just can't get through to them

Contact them via their website, most of the FAQ links seem to lead to this page: Compliments and complaints| Wizz Air

Be clear that you'e not asking for compensation, you're asking for reimbursement of expenses for re-reouting.  It's still EC261, but asking for compensation will lead to refusal as before.

Your situation may be slightly complicated by the fact their system moved your reservation to a new flight and will show you no-showed.  But just be clear that the alternative was not suitable.  (In hindsight it would have been easier to notify them of this in October when the reschedule occured - by doing nothing they probably assume the reschedule accepted)

Wizz aren't known to be the easiest to deal with.  If you still have no joy, you will be able to escalate at a later date with ADR or Small Claims Court.