AirHelpan air passenger support site, publishes the results of a study on the airline communications and how travelers feel about how they are treated in the event of cancellation or delay of their flights.
Under European law EC 261, airlines are required to inform passengers of their rights and pay them compensation of up to up to 600 euros per trip and per person, provided that the delay is more than 3 hours and is attributable to the airline. However, despite the legal obligation for airlines to properly inform passengers of their rights, 82% of passengers complain about the lack of information received.
So, when passengers are asked to rate their satisfaction with the treatment they received, airlines obtain a dismal score of 3.13 out of 10. Yet many of them say that their Satisfaction level would increase by 60% if the airline had been proactive in communicating when there was a problem with the flight schedule.
Although 73% of people surveyed in the AirHelp study say their biggest problem is long waits, the costs of flight interruption are very significant. On average, they amount to more than 350 euros:
– in 76% of cases, these are unplanned expenses such as the purchase of food and drinks, alternative transport, accommodation, entertainment expenses, etc.
– and in 46% of cases, these are non-refundable expenses or loss of income linked to accommodation, scheduled activities and excursions, or loss of business and working time.
And while some travelers say they received these basic services from airlines while their flight was delayed, about half say it was upon request.
