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A couple from Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain's Basque region has won their fight against Vueling, receiving compensation of 1,700 euros, after the airline denied them boarding due to overbooking and then cancelled their next flight 12 hours later. The initial flight, from Gran Canaria to Barcelona, was booked for 10 December 2022. Since Vueling ignored the couple's claim for compensation for the disruption, loss and discomfort, they turned to Spanish consumer group Facua who helped them earn a fair reimbursement.
During a 12-hour period, the couple was first denied boarding to the aircraft due to overbooking and then told that their second flight, which they had to wait for at the airport, had been cancelled. As a result, they had to spend the night in a hotel, as well as pay for dinner and breakfast themselves. According to Facua, Vueling also failed to offer them assistance during the hours they had spent waiting at the airport.
When the couple demanded compensation from the airline, for the incidents they had suffered and for all the extra expenses, Vueling simply ignored them. For this reason, they turned to Facua Euskadi, which has now succeeded in reaching a compensation agreement of 1,703.44 euros: comprising of 103.44 euros for the expenses during the wait, 800 euros for the overbooked flight and another 800 euros for the cancelled one
Facua had to submit the claim reimbursement three times, as Vueling mainly refused to pay for the second flight under the pretext that it followed "the same route" as the initial flight. The association then turned to the airline and claimed that "regardless of whether it was the same route or not, the cancellation of a flight obliges airlines to compensate those affected, so refusing was a clear violation of European law." Vueling finally gave in.
Facua reminded flyers that, since February 2004, the European Parliament's Regulation EC 261/2004 establishes common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding, cancellation or flights with long delays. These rules state that, in the event of denied boarding and cancellation, the airline must compensate those affected, as established in Article 7 of the regulation.
In this particular case, as it was an EU intra-community flight of more than 1,500 kilometres, the couple was entitled to 400 euros for each flight and ticket (1,600 euros in total). In addition, Facua pointed out that, according to European legislation, users have the right to assistance from the airline in question. "Therefore, the airline must offer them free accommodation, sufficient food and drink during the time they have to wait, as well as transport between the accommodation and the airport when they have to stay overnight," Facua said.
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