xxtraloud

Hello folks, I will give a quick description.
Flight from GVA-FCO at 17:15, in the morning there is an internet shortage at FCO that delays a lot of flights. Around 15:30 Vueling sends an email saying flight will be delayed at later time. We arrive at the airport and there is only "info at ..." which keeps changing to a later time until 23:00 when an airport employee tells us will get hotel vouchers and flight is cancelled. Note that only Vueling flights were delayed so much at FCO. The following day we leave with another delay of 1:30 hour.

First I will file a complain with Vueling for compensation according to EU regulations, but expecting a negative answer I am unclear where should file a claim with the authorities? Switzerland, Italy or Spain?

Is there a state agency that provides assistance without going through a legal service?

Also I have read on Vueling rules that I should send a snail mail letter through certified mail, is this taken more seriously than a simple email?

many thanks

LupineChemist

Here you go.

http://www.vueling.com/en/we-are-vue...d-us-a-message

xxtraloud

Brilliant, so I have sent the form two times in the last 10 days and have received two emails, one says my message has been received, the other tells me that

"This is the mail system at host nxvlgmailconfirm02-mailsales.mail.vueling.com.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not
be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below."

So I don't even know if they received it or not.

What are the official government agencies where to pursue the compensation?

craigthemif

Government agencies don't really chase the airlines either. There might be one or two countries that do, but I couldn't tell you which ones and whether they would accept your claim.

Most people make their claim through a specialist law firm found on the internet, in the process handing over much of what they are due.

Vueling basically will not pay without a court order. Everything in their process is designed to make you give up and go away in frustration. (until they are again the cheapest option for a flight you need and you hold your nose and book with them...)

Koby

You need to give them more time I think.

In the past, Vueling has always been very bad at paying compensation, so going through an agency was almost the only way to get something. But since their operational meltdown a few weeks ago they seem to have become a lot more willing to pay up. (It seems to have been one of the promises that they made to the Catalan government and their customers about how they would behave better in the future...) But they probably have an enormous back log getting all request processed since the start of summer.

AAtticus

Good luck, for us after the BCN debacle it took 5 months, 10 odd phone calls, multiple emails with no response. After last email with the description of our small claims court case and the CEO of Vueling in CC the called us the next day to give our bank account number.

xxtraloud

Any chance you could provide a few more details?

The first email response was incredible, they stated the airplane was delayed by less than 3 hours so we didn't have the right to claim anything, they completely ignored the rest of the email and only focused that the airplane of the *following day* was delayed only 1.5hr

craigthemif

A quick piece of advice... Lots of people on Flyertalk confuse things (both for those trying to help and when submitting formal claims for reimbursement) with lots of excess details. In particular this three hour delay one day then 1.5 hours the next. Totally unnecessary and potentially confusing. It can sound like you were willing to fly the next day and, since that flight wasn't too late, then you aren't due anything.

Your submission should be straightforward. i.e. I was due to arrive on Day X at Y time, but I instead arrived the next day at Z time. Due to a total delay of X hours, I am due compensation under EU regulation...

I also recommend not mentioning whatever excuse was provided on the day. Let Vueling come up with a BS excuse before you challenge that.