Passenger assistance
Passenger assistance
When a journey goes wrong the useful questions are always the same: which rules apply to this trip, what is the carrier obliged to do right now, and by when must I act? These guides answer them for flights, baggage, trains, coaches and ferries — separating European Union law, United Kingdom law and other jurisdictions, and linking the official text each statement rests on.
Which guide fits what happened
- My flight is late or was cancelledFlight cancellation
- I missed a connecting flightMissed connection
- I was refused boardingDenied boarding
- My bag is lost, late or damagedBaggage claim checklist
- My train, coach or ferry was disruptedRefunds and compensation across modes
- I need help because of a disability or reduced mobilityAssistance by mode
- The carrier is abroad, or the trip crossed bordersComplaints and claims across borders
First, whatever went wrong
- Keep everything: booking confirmation, boarding pass or ticket, receipts, and screenshots of delay or cancellation notices.
- Ask the carrier what it will provide now — food, a way to continue, somewhere to stay — and get the answer in writing where you can.
- Write down actual times: when you were meant to leave and arrive, and when you really did.
- Complain to the carrier in writing first; most systems require it before an official body will look at the case.
- Mind the time limits. Some are days, some are months, and the law that sets them depends on your route.
Air travel problems
Delays, cancellations, denied boarding, missed connections, refunds and getting re-routed.
- Flight delay compensation: when it applies and how muchMy flight arrived late — do I have a claim, and for how much?
- Flight cancellation: refund, re-routing, care and compensationThe airline cancelled my flight — what must it do and what can I claim?
- Denied boarding: overbooking, volunteers and what you are owedI was refused boarding although I had a ticket — what can I claim?
- Missed connecting flight: who is responsibleA late flight made me miss my connection — what is the airline obliged to do?
- Flight ticket refund: when you can ask for money backI want my money back for a flight that was cancelled, changed or very late.
- Rebooking and alternative routes after a flight disruptionMy flight is cancelled or I will miss my connection — how do I get to my destination?
Baggage problems
Lost, delayed or damaged bags — how to report, what to keep and the deadlines.
- Lost baggage: what to do and what you can claimMy checked bag has not come out — what do I do, and when is it treated as lost?
- Delayed baggage: your bag arrived lateMy bag is delayed — what must I do quickly, and what can I get for the wait?
- Damaged baggage: report it within 7 daysMy bag arrived damaged — what should I do and how quickly?
- Baggage problem: how to report it, what to keep and the deadlinesWhat are the steps, the papers and the deadlines for any baggage problem?
Trains, coaches and ferries
Passenger rights on rail, bus and coach and sea routes, and how refunds and compensation work.
- Train passenger rights: delays, cancellations and missed connectionsI am delayed, my train was cancelled or I missed a connection — what am I owed?
- Bus and coach passenger rights: delays, cancellations and refundsMy coach was cancelled or left very late — what must the operator do and what can I claim?
- Ferry passenger rights: delays, cancellations and compensationMy ferry was cancelled or arrived very late — what can I ask for and by when?
- Refunds and compensation when a train, coach or ferry fails youWhich of refund, compensation and assistance can I claim on this kind of journey, and where do I start?
Special assistance and complaints
Travelling with a disability or reduced mobility, and how complaints and claims work when a trip crosses borders.
- Travelling with a disability or reduced mobility: assistance by air, rail, coach and ferryI have a disability or reduced mobility — what assistance can I get and how far ahead must I ask?
- Complaints and claims across borders: which body, which court, which routeMy trip crossed borders or the carrier is abroad — who do I complain to and where can I bring a claim?
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