Three aeronautical unions (APA, APLA and UPSA) announced a strike of activities for this Wednesday to demand a
salary adjustment
.
The measure affects not only Aerolíneas Argentinas but almost
the entire airline operation
since the state company Intercargo has a monopoly on baggage and passenger dispatch services for all foreign airlines that operate in the country and also for most of Flybondi and Jetsmart domestic flights.
Although the statement signed by these organizations maintains that "
we give sufficient notice
so that both companies can take the necessary precautions so as not to affect the users, holding their authorities responsible for any inconveniences that may arise," the passengers They had to
reorganize
their trips.
What to do in case of cancellations or delays
When a flight is cancelled, you should always
go to the airline
, either at an airport counter or through other means of communication, to make the necessary claim.
Depending on the reasons for the cancellation, the passenger will be
compensated or not
.
Since 2013, in Argentina, airlines are not required to make compensation if flights cannot depart due to
weather conditions
.
Users of JetSmart, Aerolíneas Argnetinas and Flybondi will be affected by the strike.
The same happens in the case of
strikes
, since the national regulations say nothing about it.
There are rulings for and against airlines regarding claims for this reason.
Now, in what situations
can the passenger claim
and request compensation for a cancellation?
According to resolution 1532/98, modified by 203/13, when operational, technical or commercial circumstances occur, the carrier
cancels or delays
a flight or the delivery of luggage for more than four hours, or denies previously confirmed boarding ( overbooking), or cannot make a stopover at the stop-stay or destination point, the passenger has the following rights:
the
mandatory inclusion
on the immediately subsequent flight of the same carrier for its destination,
to the
endorsement of your contract
of carriage, including connections with confirmed space, when acceptable to the passenger,
or to be
rerouted by another route
to the destination indicated in the contract, by the services of the carrier or in the services of another carrier, or by another means of transportation, in the latter cases subject to space availability.
If the passenger does not agree with the rescheduling, they can opt for a
refund
of the ticket.
Important
: if the fare of the new route is greater than the value of the purchased ticket, the passenger must not pay
any additional charge
, but if the price of the rescheduled trip is lower, the carrier must refund the difference.
Most airlines will be affected.
For those who do accept the reprogramming, the company must also provide,
free of charge
, telephone or cable communication to the destination point and local communications;
meals and snacks
in accordance with the waiting time;
accommodation in a hotel, at the airport or in the city, when the delay of a flight exceeds four hours;
ground transportation to and from the airport.
On the other hand, if the airline does not comply with its obligations, passengers always have
administrative means
or
legal jurisdiction
to continue with the claim.
What the airlines did on this occasion
In this context, some of the airlines offered their users
to reschedule
the flights of affected passengers at no cost.
For example, for this Wednesday, Latam had 40 international flights scheduled from Brazil, Chile and Peru.
Aerolineas Argentinas planes at Jorge Newbery Airport.
Photo Reuters/Agustin Marcarian.
The airline proposed to its passengers
to advance or delay
the flight up to 15 days after the original date.
Jetsmart, the low cost airline, will also be affected and released a statement inviting those affected to change their tickets
at no extra cost
.
Flybondi canceled six flights and
moved the rest of its operation
to Ezeiza International Airport, where it has its own service.
Lufthansa and Air Canada canceled their flights.