If a flight is late or is cancelled, the passengers must benefit from assistance and service, including if a flight is redirected. They are also entitled to compensation, with particular exceptions, the Civil Aviation Authority specified after Wizz Air announced it decided to suspend flights to and from Chisinau as from March 14 and after Air Moldova cancelled a number of flights, IPN reports.
If a flight is cancelled, the passengers cannot ask for compensation if they were informed about the cancellation at least two weeks before the set departure hour or in an interval of 7 to 14 days and are offered the possibility of flying by another flight and to reach the destination not more than four hours after the set arrival hour, or of fewer than 7 days with redirection enabling them to leave by at most one hour later than the set departure hour and to reach the destination in less than two hours of the set arrival hour.
When the passengers are informed about cancellation, they are offered explanations about possible alternative transport. The air transport operator is not obliged to pay compensation if it can prove that the cancellation is due to extraordinary circumstances that could not be avoided despite all the possible taken measures.
The passengers are entitled to compensation, assistance and service also if a flight sets off after the set departure hour, if the delay is of over two hours and the travel distance is of over 1,500 km. The compensation in theses cases ranges from €250 to €600.
If the passenger bought a plane ticket from the airline for a regular route, assistance is provided by the given airline. In case of an unsatisfactory result, the applications and complaints are directed to the Civil Aviation Authority. In case of an irregular flight, the passenger receives assistance from the travel agency through which the ticket was purchased. In case of an unsatisfactory result, the applications and complaints are directed to the Civil Aviation Authority.
