ITA Airways Compensation for Flight Delays, Cancellations & Refund

Written By Nicolle Harwood-Nash

Last Updated: March 04, 2024

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Should your ITA Airways flight encounter a delay exceeding 3 hours, you're likely eligible to claim up to €600 in compensation.
• In the case of an ITA Airways flight cancellation, you have an undeniable right to a full refund of your ticket cost.
• If ITA Airways terminates your flight within 14 days before your planned departure, you may be eligible to claim cash compensation.
• After experiencing a flight disruption, you have 6 years to file a compensation claim, leaving a substantial time period to process your claim.
• AirAdvisor's 'Check Compensation' feature is a quick and easy way to ascertain your eligibility for compensation.
• In instances where a claim becomes necessary, AirAdvisor is well-equipped to handle the procedure on your behalf, ensuring a smooth process in claiming the compensation you deserve, with minimal effort required from you.

Your rights in case of flight disruption

Below, you can review a clear explanation of your passenger rights for compensation when experiencing flight delays, cancellations and overbookings when travelling with ITA Airways:

EU Air Passenger Rights 

As a passenger travelling through European airports, you have rights stipulated by the EU 261 law, established to guarantee equitable treatment and appropriate reparation in the event of flight disruptions. These disruptions can range from various circumstances, including overbooking, cancelled flights and lengthy delays. 

EU261 applies not only to all flights departing from any country within the European Union but also to those flights landing in the EU that are operated by an EU-based airline. For this reason, EU261 covers you during your travel on ITA Airways.

Regarding your rights to financial compensation, the amount is based on both the duration of the delay you face and the total distance of your journey. On average, your potential ITA Airways compensation may reach up to €600 per passenger.

Passenger Rights in the UK

Following Brexit, the UK implemented the UK261 passenger rights law, which is essentially a direct translation of EU261. This new regulation mirrors EU261, providing similar protections for passengers travelling with a UK-based carrier or starting their journey from a UK airport.

UK261 addresses a variety of flight disruptions, like missed connecting flights or denied boarding, ensuring the provision of adequate compensation for UK passengers. Like the EU law, the UK261 compensation amount varies depending on the length of your delay and your flight's distance. For extensive delays for long journeys, compensation generally peaks at £520.

What to Do in Case of Flight Disruption

Regardless of the type of disruptions you experience, it's always handy to have a strategy in place to ensure timely compensation and streamline your claim. Consider the following steps after experiencing a flight disruption, as they can help you ensure a smooth and headache-free compensation process.

1. Preserve your travel documentation: When flying onboard any airline, you're likely to receive documentation, from boarding passes and tickets to signed receipts. It's often vital to store all these documents, as they're usually integral to verifying your claim for ITA Airways compensation.
2. Engage with ITA Airways: Make an effort to liaise with ITA Airways staff, either in person at the airport or via their customer service platforms. The primary objective is to understand the core reason behind the disruption and secure a written confirmation of the event. This confirmation, alongside your other travel documentation, can lead to a streamlined compensation claim.
3. Verify your compensation entitlement: The intuitive AirAdvisor compensation calculator is at your disposal to help determine your eligibility for compensation from ITA Airways and assist you in understanding the claim process. This handy tool allows you to promptly evaluate the potential compensation based on the specifics of your flight disruption.
4. Assert your right to assistance: Amidst flight interruptions, ITA Airways likely has an obligation to provide you with essential amenities. These provisions include offering meals and drinks, facilitating communication, and arranging overnight lodging, as some interruptions may be substantial, depending on the causes.

Find out if you are owed compensation for a disrupted flight.Check Your Flight

Things to Avoid

Now that you've explored some steps you should follow, it's helpful to identify some of the steps you should completely avoid. When dealing with flight disruptions, it's crucial to know what to do and what not to do, as your actions can have negative implications on your compensation amount and overall claims process. The following items detail some actions best avoided during flight disruptions:

Rushing to Accept Initial Proposals

When an airline is liable to provide financial compensation, it may have its own interests at heart, which is understandable, but it can result in a preliminary offer that has been significantly undercut. It's crucial not to rush into accepting such an offer without proper consideration. 

Rather, weigh the initial proposal from the airline against the entitlements given to you by EU261. If the initial proposal does not match the legal compensation amount, remember that you’re fully within your rights to insist on the full amount you're owed.

Accepting Travel Vouchers

Often, airlines propose travel vouchers as an appealing resolution to the situation, which can be tempting at first glance, but there are various reasons to approach this option with caution. The chief concern is that these vouchers are typically exclusive to the issuing airline and come with several limitations, such as restrictions on flight applicability or travel periods. 

We recommend that you decline vouchers as a mode of compensation for flight inconveniences, as many travellers end up not using them. Furthermore, by accepting a flight voucher, you may inadvertently give up your right to additional compensation.

Briefly Reviewing Agreements Before Signing Them

As with any situation where you're signing an agreement, understanding the specifics of what you're agreeing to is crucial. Amid the confusion of a flight disruption, airlines might coerce you into signing specific documents or waivers intended to decrease their liability or dismiss your right to compensation. It's vitally important not to sign any documents without understanding their complete implications. 

If confronted with such paperwork, be sure to scrutinise them, and seek legal advice if needed. Remember, you typically have 6 years to file a claim, so there's no rush to sign agreements before completely understanding them.

Flight Delay Compensation Rights

As per EU261 directives, you might be eligible for an ITA Airways delayed flight compensation in the event of a flight delay. This right applies when the delay extends beyond 3 hours and results from factors that the airline could control, like technical issues with the aircraft or scheduling errors with flight arrivals and departures.

The following points outline the ITA Airways flight delay compensation for a delayed flight:

• After experiencing a delay of 3 or more hours when travelling to a destination less than 1,500km, you can claim up to €250.
• After experiencing a delay of 3 or more hours when travelling to a destination between 1,500km and 3,500km, you can claim up to €400.
• After experiencing a delay of 3 or more hours when travelling to a destination further than 3,500km, you can claim up to €600.

Flight Cancellation Compensation Rights

If you don't receive a minimum of 14 days' notice before a flight cancellation, EU261 ensures you're eligible for an ITA Airways cancelled flight compensation. However, this doesn't apply to cancellations resulting from extraordinary circumstances outside the airline's jurisdiction.

Here, you can review the ITA Airways flight cancellation compensation in case your flight is cancelled:

• When travelling to a destination less than 1,500km, you can claim up to €250.
• When travelling to a destination between 1,500km and 3,500km, you can claim up to €400.
• When travelling to a destination further than 3,500km, you can claim up to €600.

If your flight was delayed, canceled or overbooked within the last 3 years, you could be eligible for up to €600 in compensation.Check Your Flight

Airline Refund

Apart from receiving financial compensation for delayed, overbooked, and cancelled flights, you can obtain a full airline ticket refund, as stipulated in the EU261 provisions. This full refund might not always be available, as it can depend on the specific circumstances. Typically, these circumstances refer to flight cancellations without a 14-day notice, delays exceeding 5 hours, or denied boarding due to overbooking or operational reasons that the airline otherwise might've avoided.

Denied Boarding Compensation Rights 

EU261 regulations encapsulate rights pertaining to compensation in the event of denied boarding by ITA Airways. Such denials typically occur from an attempt by an airline to maximise its profits. Airlines overbook flights to ensure their aircraft can transport as many passengers as possible, as no-shows, last-minute cancellations or missed flights may occur. 

The overbooking leads to an inadequate number of seats for all confirmed passengers. If you didn't willingly give up your seat or contribute to the denied boarding due to personal conduct, you're within your rights to demand compensation from the airline.

The following list outlines your ITA Airways compensation you're entitled to in case of denied boarding:

• When travelling to a destination less than 1,500km, you can claim up to €250.
• When travelling to a destination between 1,500km and 3,500km, you can claim up to €400.
• When travelling to a destination further than 3,500km, you can claim up to €600.

Missed Connection Compensation Rights

As a passenger on ITA Airways, EU261 allows you to claim compensation if you miss a connecting flight as a consequence of your initial ITA Airways flight being delayed or cancelled, assuming that all flights were booked under a single reservation. 

A critical aspect here is the total delay you encounter when reaching your ultimate destination. Should the disruption culminate in a total delay of 3 hours or more at your end destination, you're eligible to seek compensation for the missed flight.

The potential compensation amount for a missed connection is based on the overall delay experienced at your final destination and the average distance of your journey. Below, you can review the typical ITA Airways missed connection compensation if you missed your flight:

• When travelling to a destination less than 1,500km, you can claim up to €250.
• When travelling to a destination between 1,500km and 3,500km, you can claim up to €400.
• When travelling to a destination further than 3,500km, you can claim up to €600.

Extraordinary Circumstances

Navigating through flight disruptions like delays, cancellations, or denied boarding becomes easier when you understand the notion of "extraordinary circumstances". These are events beyond the control or prevention of the airline, even when all reasonable steps are taken. Such situations might involve extreme weather conditions that make flying unsafe, safety-driven restrictions imposed by air traffic control, immediate security threats, or political upheavals affecting air travel. These instances fall under the umbrella of "extraordinary circumstances".

Generally, in these rare but significant scenarios, airlines, including ITA Airways, are exempted from compensating passengers. Although these disruptions might be considered inconvenient, the primary concern remains the passengers' safety and well-being. Each disruption is unique, and it's recommended to delve into the specifics of your situation. This is because each case may be evaluated differently under the regulations of EU261.

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Claim with AirAdvisor and get up to €600 compensation. Find out how much you’re owed today.Check Your Flight

Frequently Asked Questions

The following frequently asked questions about ITA Airways compensation may shed some additional light on the common concerns, misunderstandings and processes for claiming compensation after disrupted flights: