Lessons From the Icelandic Volcano Eruption
Most American travelers are not aware that the European Union’s passenger rights legislation covers any airline flying out of Europe, and any passenger on those flights, regardless of nationality. (It also covers European carriers flying to Europe.) Although carriers will not have to pay penalties for ash-related cancellations — because the problem was outside their control — the law still requires them to reimburse travelers stranded in Europe for hotel costs, meals and some phone calls.
That is the letter of the law, at least; the International Air Transport Association is appealing to the European Commission to waive the reimbursement rule for the recent volcano-related cancellations because of the costs it would impose on struggling airlines resulting from a catastrophe the law could not have anticipated. In other words, the situation is evolving, so don’t count on getting a check.
But if you think you qualify for reimbursement, you can contact your airline’s customer-service department about submitting your expenses, or you can hire a company called EUclaim, which takes a 27 percent cut of any compensation you get in exchange for handling the paperwork for you. Hendrik Noorderhaven, a Dutch software engineer who founded the company, said airlines often wear down customers by asking for proof to support a claim. “Most people just give up after two or three questions,” he said. “We don’t.”
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