Flights - its the law!

I was sat drinking my cup of tea over the Sunday Times last Sunday and came across a very interesting article in the travel section. It is regarding the Volcanic Ash and how the airlines are "supposed" to be acting under the EU law, but are they acting lawfully?? Well, according to this article they are not! No surprise there then...

With Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull Volcano threatening a long summer of disrupted travel, passenger’s seeking to rebook or claim refunds for flights have been reporting that airlines are in flagrant breach of EU compensation laws.
So what are the laws and what are they obliged to do i hear you ask?
Well, according to the EU law passengers whose flights have been cancelled should be able to choose between a full refund, payable within seven days, or rebooking the flight at a later date, at no extra cost and at their own convenience. Yet, according to the Air Transport Users Council (AUC) which is an airline watchdog, this is not happening. James Freemantle quote "Our view is that certain airlines are in defiance of the law, they're charging supplement and applying time frames which is in breach of the regulation"

Which airlines are the worst?
BMI baby has imposed a 21 day rebooking window, with Easy Jet at 30 days. Whilst Virgin is warning passengers that rebooked flights may attract a "seasonal supplement"

BA has defended however, that they have followed the rules! A bit rich if you ask me considering they are trying to cause more disruption on top of this with their ridiculous strikes! Granted though, they are allowing passengers to rebook without restriction and at no extra cost. Every cloud and all that I guess.

What do they have to do for you if you are affected?
The long and short of it is that if your flight is cancelled and your airline is based in the EU, you can either rebook your flight to a date of your choice at NO extra cost or take a refund. Also if you are stranded overseas you are entitled to meals and refreshments and hotels where applicable.

My advice at this stage is if you are planning a Cruise and it is a Fly Cruise, to do it as a package with the Cruise line. I know it works out slightly more, especially if it is just flying to places like Barcelona or Malaga but if you want to avoid having to do the above with the flight companies then its the best option as it is completely up to the cruise line you have booked with to either get you an alternative flight or if they cant do that then give you a refund for your cruise or transfer it to a later date.

If you have had any experiences of the Volcanic Ash disruption we would be interested to hear about it, good and bad?