One in five passengers affected by cancelled or delayed flights is abandoned at the airport or does not receive sufficient information, assistance, or food and drink from airlines, according to a study conducted by AirHelp, a company specializing in obtaining compensation for delayed, cancelled, or overbooked flights.<\/p>\n
Passengers are dissatisfied with airlines, with 37% of them considering that they are poorly treated by them.<\/p>\n
14% of the passengers participating in the study claim that there is too little legroom between their seat and the one in front.<\/p>\n
One in 10 travelers encountered rude flight attendants, 7% of respondents are forced to check their hand luggage at the check-in desk, 4% are forced to change their seat on the plane, and 5% found themselves forced to pay extra for hidden costs.<\/p>\n
According to European Regulation 261, for passengers affected by flights delayed by more than 2 hours and covering a distance of over 1,500 km, airlines must provide food and drink vouchers and the possibility to make two phone calls or send two emails. If necessary, airlines must provide accommodation and transfers.<\/p>\n
If the flight is delayed by more than 3 hours, or is cancelled for reasons attributable to the air carriers, including spontaneous strikes, passengers are entitled to compensation of up to 600 EUR\/person.<\/p>\n
Passengers can apply for compensation within three years from the moment of the delay, cancellation, or denied boarding.<\/p>\n
The data was provided by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, following a study on a representative sample of 7,103 respondents over the age of 18, of which 6,648 were passengers, conducted between January 31 and February 6, 2018, in Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and Norway.<\/p>\n