The storm complicates travel this Saturday, October 3, from the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airport, where cancellations and delays of up to four hours have been recorded. The storms affecting Catalonia and the airspace over the sea have forced traffic to be spaced out and reduced the number of operations.
Air traffic controllers have described the day as "very complicated due to the storms." The explanation is operational: by increasing the separation between planes, the number of movements that can be managed is reduced, and the planned schedule is delayed.
For passengers, the first check is the status of their flight. The second is what the airline should offer them. That an incident has a meteorological origin does not mean that the airline is freed from all its obligations.
Before going to the airport: check your flight and contact the airline
The status of departures and arrivals can be checked on Aena's Infovuelos and on the airline's app or website. It is advisable to search by flight number, check the terminal, and keep the reservation notifications activated.
Aena warns that estimates can change even during the journey to the airport. Therefore, it recommends confirming with the airline both the flight situation and the check-in times and the necessary advance to present oneself. An announced delay should not be interpreted on one's own as permission to arrive later.
The recommendation to check the flight before leaving takes on special importance during this rainy day, in which precautions in travel should also be heightened, according to information published by La Ciutat regarding Aena's warning.
If your flight is canceled, you can choose between a refund and an alternative trip
The airline must offer the passenger the choice between a refund of the ticket, alternative transportation to the final destination as soon as possible, or a later trip on a date that suits them, subject to availability.
Accepting a voucher is not mandatory. If the passenger chooses to recover the money, the airline cannot substitute that refund for a voucher without their consent.
Before accepting an option, it is advisable to assess whether one wants to continue the trip: the refund and alternative transportation are solutions among which to choose, not benefits that accumulate automatically.
Food, drink, and hotel: the rights that the passenger retains
When the problem is a delay, assistance depends on the duration of the wait and the distance of the journey. The European Regulation establishes these thresholds:
* From two hours for flights of up to 1,500 kilometers.
* From three hours for flights within the EU of more than 1,500 kilometers and other routes between 1,500 and 3,500 kilometers.
* From four hours for other flights.
The assistance includes sufficient food and drink during the wait and communications. If the departure is postponed to the next day and it is necessary to stay overnight, it also includes accommodation and transportation between the airport and the hotel.
AESA reminds that the company must provide that assistance. If it does not and the traveler has to bear the expenses, they must keep the receipts to claim them. It is advisable to also document the requests for help made to the airline.
From five hours you can give up the trip and request a refund
If the delay in departure reaches five hours and the passenger decides not to travel, they are entitled to a refund of the part of the journey not made. It may also correspond to the refund of parts already made when the trip has lost its purpose, along with the return to the starting point when appropriate.
AESA indicates a period of seven days for the refund in these cases. This possibility is different from economic compensation for the inconveniences suffered.
Is there compensation if the cause is a storm?
Not necessarily. Weather conditions can constitute an extraordinary circumstance that exempts from paying economic compensation. The company must prove that this circumstance affected the flight and that the incident could not be avoided by taking reasonable measures.
This exception does not eliminate the right to the corresponding assistance. The ticket refund, the assistance expenses, and the compensation are distinct concepts: that one does not apply does not mean that the others disappear.
Keep the reservation, the notices, and the receipts
To claim, keep the reservation confirmation, the boarding pass, the messages about the incident, and the invoices for the necessary expenses. Request the airline to record the reason for the cancellation or delay.
The claim must be addressed first to the company. If it does not respond within a month or the response is not satisfactory, one can go to AESA for the cases included in its competence.