RimborsoAlVolo: 'The bomb scares risk a chain effect on airline flights'

The bomb scares that are affecting flights to and from Italy risk causing knock-on effects on air transport and creating enormous inconvenience for thousands of passengers. This was stated by the specialized company RimborsoAlVolo, which invites airlines to limit the repercussions for travellers.

All passengers who, due to the alarms of the last few hours, have suffered the delay, cancellation or diversion of their flight to another airport, are always entitled to assistance from the carriers as provided for by EC Regulation 261/2004. - explains RimborsoAlVolo - Even in exceptional circumstances such as the one recorded in these hours in Italy, the airline has the obligation to guarantee assistance to passengers in the form of re-routing on other flights, meals and drinks, transfers, possible overnight stays in hotels, etc. However, pecuniary compensation of up to 600 euros per passenger is not foreseen: as this is a case of force majeure, the delay or cancellation of the flight is not attributable to the responsibility of the airline.

This concerns flights directly affected by a bomb threat. However, the current situation risks causing cascading effects on air transport even for flights not directly affected by the alarms - specifies Kathrin Cois, CEO of RimborsoAlVolo - This is because an aircraft covers multiple routes within the same day, and if a plane is diverted to another airport or remains grounded, the flights that should have operated in the following hours suffer delays and cancellations, if the company is not able to quickly provide a replacement aircraft.

In these cases the passenger can also request financial compensation of up to 600 euros in the event of flight cancellation or arrival at the destination with a delay of more than 3 hours, as these are responsibilities directly attributable to the air carriers.