If something goes wrong, why should I contact Albastar?
Because we are providing, or have provided you with air transport service: as we well know, flying is a wonderful experience and we at Albastar in fact work first and foremost towards ensuring you enjoy your journey as much as possible, with the aim of providing comfortable, safe and punctual flights.
We do everything possible, of course… but sometimes unexpected and undesirable inconveniences happen, it’s inevitable… but all is not lost! In these cases, we know how much certain expectations can interfere with your plans and this is why we are committed to limiting any possible inconvenience, and are always available to assist and listen to you.
We strictly adhere to the European Regulation no. 261/2004, which establishes common rules in the sector and has the purpose of protecting passengers travelling in the European Union: this Regulation is known to most as the “Charter of Passenger Rights” and identifies the minimum standards to be applied to offer you the best support.
There are three cases where by law additional assistance to that already due under the transport contract is provided and, possibly even compensation:
- failure to board
- a significant delay
- flight cancellation
Please note: there are situations in which the Regulation, in whole or in part, is not applicable, for example:
- in the event of flights departing from a non-EU country with destination in the EU, operated by non-EU airlines (in this case the safeguards will be guaranteed to you by their legislation and by the rules governing the transport contract);
- if you travel for free or at a reduced rate that is not accessible to the public;
- if an exceptional circumstance has determined or has played a decisive role in causing the problem from which your inconvenience originated.
In any case, the fact remains that it is always a good idea, before anything else, o contact your airline to obtain all the explanations and assistance, any compensation and refunds, if due.
You will have heard about the so-called “claim agency”… going to these agencies is first of all very expensive, as well as risky: companies often based abroad, with legal offices and current accounts in faraway countries with regulations that are probably different from ours, make themselves available to passengers only to make profit using apps and specialised websites, striking on “easy money” while – without paying or guaranteeing you anything – they ask you to give them your money… it is always good to be careful and, as we said at the beginning, to first contact those who provided the service, not strangers, however… “tantalising”! But let’s not go off topic… we’ll talk about it in a separate article.
When is Albastar required to offer assistance?
Let’s start with this assumption: in a certain sense, passengers guarantee our jobs, this is why Albastar personnel are always willing to assist them fully and without hesitation, especially in the event of denied boarding, flight delay and cancellation that are precisely the cases in which even the law needs to focus more attention.
When is Albastar obliged to pay compensation (and when it isn’t)?
1. Denied boarding
It is not Albastar’s policy to sell more seats than the plane actually has: this is why cases of overbooking are rare, which occur only if, due to unexpected technical and operational issues, we provide the flight service using an aircraft that has a smaller capacity than expected.
In these cases, Albastar asks if there are any volunteers among the passengers who are willing to give up their seats to others for an alternative flight offered at different times and conditions. In the unlikely event that you cannot embark, you are entitled to:
- compensation calculated on the basis of the route and distance travelled, which varies between €250 and €600;
- reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket for the part or parts of the journey not made, and for the part or parts of the journey already made if the flight is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger’s original travel plan, together with, when relevant, a return flight to the first point of departure, at the earliest opportunity or re-routing under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at a later date at the passenger’s convenience depending on the availability of seats;
- meals and drinks depending on the waiting time; accommodation in a hotel if overnight stays are required; transfer to/from the airport to the hotel accommodation; two telephone calls or telex, fax or email messages.
Please note: as mentioned above, in this case, as in those which will be described below, compensation is not due, however, if exceptional circumstances lead to your discomfort, such as:
- adverse weather conditions;
- security concerns derived from unstable political situations, acts of terrorism or sabotage;
- natural disasters and adverse weather conditions;
- general or unannounced strikes;
- sudden and unexpected flight safety shortcomings…
2. Significant delay
In the event of long delays:
- after two hours you are entitled to assistance: meals and drinks depending on the waiting time, accommodation in a hotel if overnight stays are required, transfer from the airport to the hotel accommodation and vice versa, two telephone calls or telex messages, fax or e-mail (let’s face it, these latter types of assistance may bring a smile to your face these days, because of the super-technological smartphones we all have in our pockets);
- after three hours you are entitled to compensation determined according to the distance of the journey;
- if the delay exceeds five hours, you can cancel the flight and get a full ticket refund within seven days and, if necessary, a return flight to the point of departure as soon as possible.
3. Flight cancellation
If the flight is cancelled (please note that often it isn’t the carrier that decides), you are entitled to assistance, reimbursement of the unused ticket or re-routing on an alternative flight and statutory compensation, if you were not notified of the flight cancellation within a given time (two weeks before the scheduled departure time or between two weeks and seven days before the scheduled departure time) and if you have been offered an alternative flight no more than two hours before the scheduled departure time and you reach your final destination in less than four hours after the scheduled time of arrival or less than seven days before the scheduled departure time and you have been offered an alternative flight no more than one hour before the scheduled departure time and you reach your final destination less than two hours after the scheduled time of arrival.
Bear in mind that the amount of compensation can be reduced by 50% if, by taking an alternative flight, you arrive no later than two, three or four hours depending on the distance to be covered.
How to make a complaint to Albastar
You can send your complaint in the following ways:/p>
- in writing (registered post) to Customer Service Albastar in Palma de Mallorca, Isole Baleari, Av. Conde de Sallent 23, 5A, 07003
- by filling in the appropriate form on our website
- if you purchased your ticket online you can file your complaint on the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform which you can access freely by clicking here.
It is important that you remember to provide an email address and a phone number where you can be contacted.
To manage and solve every problem correctly it is necessary that you provide us with your identity document as well as:
- Flight ticket
- Boarding pass
- Receipts for expenses incurred.
Here is how Albastar handles complaints.
We would like to remind you that we are committed to resolving issues within six weeks of receiving your complaint. It is important for you to know that if we receive complaints from claim agencies, lawyers, prosecutors or other representatives within this period, you will not be paid, not even by way of contribution, any sum intended to cover the related legal fees, that will be borne solely by you.
Furthermore, refunds or payments that may be acknowledged to you, will of course be paid directly to you, not to someone else’s current account, for safety reasons.
This is why contacting Albastar straight away is better: it’s quicker, safer and there are no additional costs or commissions to be paid to third parties.
