How does EU261 handle multi day trips?
 

We are traveling as a family CHS-LHR (3 days) - LHR-BRU-FCO (13 days) - FCO-BRU-JFK - EWR-CHS

It is really only the FCO-BRU-JFK-EWR-CHS I have a question about
FCO-BRU is a Sunday (staying at the airport Sheraton)
BRU-JFK and EWR-CHS is a Monday

Is there any intermediate steps or as long as they get me to CHS on time on Monday they have met the requirements of EU261?

I am not anticipating any issues and would rather not be any issues - this is mainly for my own curiosity....especially if the BRU-JFK plane is late and we can't get to EWR in time for that flight...who is at fault and lord knows what i would have to do to prove it....

Yes, I know it is a train wreck, but trying finding 3 business saver fares for the same days...take what you can get....I am really hoping for schedule changes and get a better routing, but so far nothing....

Assuming the following: You are traveling on a single ticket with departure city CHS and arrival city FCO with a stopover in LON and a long layover in BRU. The answer is quite simple actually. The only two points that matter regarding compensation are 1. Time of arrival at final destination (CHS), and if there was a cancellation, 2. Time of new departure from FCO. Just as a normal EC261 claim.

For the NYC transfer, the min. connecting time (MCT) is 4 hours so if the delay puts you below that threshold just call the Global Services line and they'll sort it out without an issue. And I'm guessing as a GS member, you shouldn't have too many issues getting rebooked even if the delay made the connection time go to 4h05 or something and you misconnected.

Please feel free to PM me with more details though as I haven't been able to replicate the fare on UA and therefore might have made some errors in my assumptions.

FCO-BRU is on SN
BRU-JFK is on SN
EWR-CHS is on UA

14 hours layover in BRU
9 hour Layover in JFK/EWR

all 3 of us are on 1 ticket (award) using the excursionist perk for LHR-FCO

Others can advise you better than I about the provisions of EU 261 should the need arise for you to make a claim (I've been on many flights that were covered by EU 261, but these flights have never been significantly delayed), but it seems to me that the greatest complication in your case is the fact that you and your family are traveling on award tickets.

Are you seriously worried about not making the 14 or 9 hour connections?

How are you planning to get from JFK to EWR? Taxi/Uber? One-way car rental? Public transportation?

No, i am wondering if EU261 treats them as one long travel or because there is a 14hr layover in BRU, is that 2 separate travel instances

Same for the BRU-JFK/EWR-CHS does the change of airport etc - trigger a second travel event

That said the EWR-CHS is at 9pm (last flight) and is sometimes iffy - so, again the question about is that even part of EU261 as it is purely domestic after a 9hour layover - if that flight is cancelled and we fly the next morning does that count as EU261 or because SN got us to JFK and we had 9 hours, then everyone is off the hook as far as EU261?

I have booked a car service to take us from JFK to EWR - we all have GE, so getting thru immigration should be fairly easy

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizen...r/index_en.htm

If SN gets you to JFK on time then that's it on their part. Any further delay is not in their control. Now, if SN's flight to JFK was delayed overnight (or if your FCO-BRU was delayed and you misconnected to JFK) and you subsequently miss the connection at Newark, then SN would be liable.

https://web.archive.org/web/20190723...for-consumers/ (emphasis mine)


I guess in theory, a delay or issue with the UA service could fall under EC261 (since your final destination is on the same ticket ex-EU) but that'd be on UA not SN.

There's no compensation if your leisurely overnight in BRU is screwed up by a flight delay on FCO-BRU. Final destination is all that matters for that.

If UA merely cancels EWR-CHS, they should indeed be liable for EC261 compensation, but I doubt that they will pay willingly.

If BRU-JFK arrives so late that you miss the flight from EWR, then SN would be liable. They also might not be too willing, but it's at least more of an open-and-shut case.

All airlines involved will claim "extraordinary circumstances" if customs, Uber, traffic, etc. cause you to miss your flight from EWR even though the flights had minor delays.

With that huge amount of schedule padding you've created for yourself, I'm having trouble envisioning scenarios in which you'd arrive at your destination late enough for ec261 to be relevant.

Those are the answers I was wondering about mainly - as i said in the OP I don't anticipate any issues, but kind of wanted to know the rules going in so if we need to reroute or have issues i don't end up screwing myself

Thank you

As i acknowledged in the OP it is not probable, I just wanted to understand the rules that i have to play by....especially with EWR-CHS being iffy - It has already swapped from 737-900 to a 737-800 to a E170 in the past 2 months and still have 4 months to go - I take that flight all the time and it is extremely suspect during the summer