xxtraloud

So for a flight from Switzerland to Italy, where should I file a complaint? Can I still go through the Spanish authority?

jxd

After almost 2 years vueling finally replied my email and decided to compensate me 250€ per pax. Let's see how it goes.

DELLAS

Airlines always hope that the majority will give up. Dont let them away with it even 2 years later still worth standing your ground. ^

Espeegee

like others I found this forum after googling about flight delays with Vueling. I have followed the advice given and started a claim via Resolver, a money saving expert.com facility. I sent several emails to Vueling who completely refused to accept I had a claim and changed the reason a couple of times when I refused to agree. I wonder just who deals with the claims because they don’t seem to understand why you’re claiming. My journey, involving 3 travellers, was from Tenerife to Manchester. At the airport as we were queuing to board, there was an announcement saying the plane was being diverted to Barcelona because there needed to be a Crewe change. We boarded, the plane sat on the tarmac for an hour then we flew to Barcelona. We were not allowed to disembark and were not so much as offered a free hot drink. The plane sat on the tarmac there for an hour, the pilot apologised and reiterated that we were waiting for a new crew as the initial crew were nearly over their max. The new crew embarked and we took off, landing in Manchester 3hours and 20 minutes late, a clear compensatable delay. I claimed and was knocked back, the airline saying the delay was not more than 2 hours. Since then they have batted back every attempt I’ve made to claim compensation.

I then wrote to the AESA as recommended here, they took on my case, presumably verified the details and told me I had a claim and they would notify Vueling. After 2 months I heard nothing for from Vueling so I escalated the case via Resolver and got more knocks back despite attaching the AESA decision. I contacted AESA again as advised and they have replied saying they will contact Vueling again and have the ability to fine the airline if they don’t compensate me but don’t have the power to make them pay out.

That's where I'm up to, should Vueling still not pay up I will be contacting a specialist claim firm because I don’t care about losing a percentage I just want them to have to pay!

Ill keep you posted. Thanks for your good work.

threeoh

Another data point for the forum:

I was flying MXP-BCN-GRX on Vueling (purchased through Iberia.com with IB flight numbers), and our flight was delayed by about 30m at departure because of a sick crew member, and then another 45m in the air because of WX at BCN. We missed our connecting flight even though it was also delayed, and BCN was a total mess with delays, cancellations, and diverted flights. Turned down an offer of seats on a super-delayed flight to AGP landing at 2am with a promise of ground transport to GRX, and instead rebooked on a flight to GRX the next day and were given hotel, taxi, and meal vouchers for the night.

Tried submitting EU261 claim to Iberia but they responded that operating carrier handles that, so tried to submit through the Vueling website, but their web form kept giving me an error (I think this is because my final flight, the next-day BCN-GRX leg, was not delayed and arrived on time -- so the bad web form logic thought we weren't eligible), so I had to resort to email / twitter. I was worried that the weather at BCN would muddy my claim, even though the initial delay was due to crew illness.

I have a USA bank account and conducted correspondence in English.

Below is a rough timeline:

10 September: flight delay
[I then contact them for a delay letter to submit to my travel insurance to cover some incidentals for our overnight, which they provided]
2 October: I contact Vueling on twitter because their web form for EU261 claims is broken, and after a little confusion over the existing case number for my delay letter, and them telling me three times to use the broken form, they open a new case on 4 October and give me the case number
5 October: they email me to request passport scans, bank account #, and travel details (PNR, etc.), I send same day
15 October: they email me to request passport scans and bank account #, I send them again
16 October: they send me a link to a secure website to enter my banking details "for the transfer". The website is broken and won't accept my valid account number. The email also says they need a signed letter from my travelling companion to xfer the money for their ticket into my account; otherwise they will have to file their claim separately. Because their website is broken, I send them my bank info in response to the email along with a screenshot showing them their web form is broken.

I write asking for an update on the following dates, no response each time: 24, 29 October and 2, 8, 15 November

16 November: they write back saying they've passed my details to the finance department to make the transfer, but it can take "up to 30 days" for the international bank transfer
19 November: I provide them with a scanned signed letter from my travelling companion, authorizing the deposit into my account.
9 December: I request that they confirm receipt of the signed letter, no response.
15 December: miracle of miracles, two transfers for $285 are in my bank account! Success!

So, definitely not easy but also not as hard as I had feared (I didn't have to go to court, file a case with a regulator, or hire a company to help).

Hopefully this is a helpful data point for someone. I actually think that they decided my case by 15 October, within 10 days of receiving the claim, and then there was a 30-day delay because they had to enter my bank account info manually, and then another 30-delay to actually make the transfer, but can't be sure. And they certainly never told me they had decided in my favor until 16 November.

Espeegee

I wonder why they settle some claims more easily than others? I’m still waiting for them to even acknowledge I have a claim, they seem hell bent on denying it.

Often1

Reportedly, less than 2% of those with a valid EC 261/2004 claim even file a claim. It may well be that many of those who don't file missed out on a biscuit and coffee for a duty of care claim rather than EU 600 for a lengthy delay, so the 2% number may not be accurate. If a carrier is going to pay, it might as well generate the goodwill for paying promptly.

But, the percentages likely drop with the passage of time and multiple denials. While it might be that your claim has simply fallen through the cracks, it is more likely that it is simply denied and the longer Vueling waits and you do nothing, the more likely that you never will. If you make a claim and it is not promptly paid, either pursue it yourself in court or through a claims agency if you are prepared to lose something to the claim. Don't waste your time arguing and writing to government agencies as they don't do anything other than perhaps tell you that you are correct.

Having said this, if there is an advantage to a claims agency, it is that it does not get paid unless you recover. Thus, claims agencies have a financial interest in not taking on claims which the agency does not believe will succeed. Given that there is a financial interest in properly evaluating claims and it is something the agencies do for a living, you should also consider the possibility that the 100% certainty that you have in your claim may not be justified.

MSPeconomist

I'd worry that the claims agencies have an incentive to deny the customers whose claims might be more complex or time consuming and just go for the low hanging fruit of filing quick and easy claims for people.

Espeegee

I ran my claim past a claim agency prior to taking a different route and their opinion was that I am entitled to compensation, possibly because others had used them already to claim for the same flight delay, my claim is about 9 months old so far and if I don’t get paid by Vueling I am willing to use an agency because some money is better than none and because of Vuelling's total denial there is no way I’ll let this drop. They haven’t even tried to argue exceptional circumstance they just keep repeating I don’t have a claim. AESA also agrees I have so it seems better to pursue it than just let it drop. I won a claim against Monarch for a protracted delay, they denied the claim at first too but paid up in the end.

Espeegee

Wonders will never cease, I have had an email from Vueling asking for my bank details! They say we are entitled to €400 each. I have supplied the information, just a wait now to see how long they take to tip up. One small fly, I made all the bookings and paid for the trip, will they pay all the compo into one account (one of the flyers doesn't have a bank account) or will they insist on separate payments?

threeoh

Congrats! For me they said it would take "up to 30 days" for the transfer and it took 29. So mark on your calendar to follow up if you don't see anything by day 35 or so.

Technically it doesn't matter who paid for the ticket -- compensation is due to the passenger.

However, as I mentioned above, I provided a signed letter from my travelling companion authorizing the deposit into my account and it came through no problem (I got two equal deposits in my bank account on the same day, one for me and one for the other person).

Espeegee

Thanks Threeoh, I haven't seen anything about how long it takes and I can see the point of it being the passenger who gets compo so we'll see if they make it a condition of payment. I particularly liked this line from their email, "We hope that this experience will not change the positive image we’re sure you have of Vueling." Still chuckling, I like an optimist but they're rather pushing it.

Espeegee

Good morning. The good news, Vueling have finally tipped up, 400 euros per passenger all of which they paid into my account. Persistence pays off I guess. I find it ironic that they've sent at least a dozen emails denying they were at fault and yet they've paid. I'm not complaining though lol. I want to thank all the knowledgeable folk in here that directed me to the best way to pursue the claim, without your assistance I probably either wouldn't have won out or would have had to share my compo with a claims firm.

brownvixen

Thank you so much for posting your process you have given me some hope in the darkness!
My husband and I were delayed 13 hours in june 18
I have tried resolver ( free uk based ) no result
Tried Iberia claim form doesn't like my EKT number
Tried Vueling claim form doesn't like my Iberia booking number .

So will move to email , might even sign up to twitter if thats what it takes !

Thank you .....

brownvixen

Hi, can anyone share the email addresses that they used to contact VUELING AND IBERIA.
They certainly don't make it easy for you to contact them except through a from which is not working with my flight details ,booking number or EKT gets rejected.
many thanks