AirHelp – the world’s largest air passenger rights organisation – has published advice to Irish holidaymakers over how best to navigate any upcoming winter travel disruptions.
New data from AirHelp shows that 728,000 passengers across Ireland suffered disruptions when travelling on a plane last winter.
Between December 2022 and February this year, over 21,000 registered flights departed from Ireland, with almost 3 million passengers travelling during this period. This is up from 2022 levels, where 218,000 air passengers were delayed or disrupted.
Last winter, more than 29,00 Irish passengers were delayed over three hours and over 26,000 had their flights cancelled entirely. Of these passengers, 58,000 were eligible for compensation.
With several airlines announcing flight cancellations this winter in an effort to avoid further travel chaos, AirHelp said it’s vital that passengers understand their rights when travelling from Irish airports. The EC 261 applies to all flights operated by an EU air carrier or departed from an EU airport.
Under this law, passengers are entitled to up to €600 when facing delays over three hours, cancellations or schedule changes less than 14 days before departure, denied boarding caused by overbooking, and missed connections causing three-hour delays upon arrival. It’s important to note that passengers are not able to claim compensation when extraordinary circumstances cause disruptions.
In terms of care, Irish passengers are entitled to alternative flights or a full refund in all cases of denied boarding, cancellation or missed connection, as well as accommodation for overnight delays. Passengers must also be informed of their rights, with the ability to make two phone calls, fax messages or emails, and be given food or drink after a few hours. Furthermore, in the case of an airline downgrading passengers, they should be reimbursed up to 75% of the original ticket price.
“Staff shortages, strikes and general travel chaos are forcing airlines to cancel flights this winter. Our goal, at AirHelp, is to educate passengers about their rights and help them enforce them in the event of inevitable delays and cancellations. Our disruption data has proved that airlines and airports based in Ireland have significant opportunities for improvement, to ensure the service they are providing to passengers is as punctual as possible,” said Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp.
