When my flight is cancelled in EU, can I insist that the airline arrange a hotel for me?

Question

The Short Version

My flight within the EU is cancelled and I am stranded in a city. The airline offers me an alternative flight the next day, which I accept, necessitating a night in a local hotel. The airline ask me to arrange this for myself, and to claim the expenses at a later date, through their website.

Can I insist that they arrange and pay for it for me?

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The Longer Version

A few months ago my easyJet flight from Amsterdam to Bordeaux was cancelled at the last minute - well to be precise, 90 minutes before departure - after I had travelled to Amsterdam all the way from Düsseldorf. The next flight to Bordeaux they could offer was three days later, which made no sense for me, as I was only going for the weekend. They then offered a flight to Lyon the next morning, and told me that, if I accepted it, then they would have no further responsibility towards me thereafter, and in particular I would have to make my own way to Bordeaux.

I accepted this flight to Lyon, which also meant that I needed a night in a hotel in Amsterdam. The attendant at the desk told me to arrange this myself through the easyJet mobile app (which allows for hotel bookings with booking.com). I didn't pay through the app, I just made a reservation, and I thought that it would be paid for directly by easyJet (this was my first ever experience of flight cancellation).

As it turned out, when I got to the hotel in downtown Amsterdam, I was told that they have nothing to do with easyJet, and that I'd have to pay for it myself - close to EUR 300 for the night! Good thing I had a credit card...

Claiming that money back from easyJet proved to be more stressful than I'd have liked, since they didn't bother to reply to my claim for more than two weeks, and I honestly thought that I'd have to get the Dutch enforcer for these things to show 'em who's boss.

It worked out in the end - hotel bill as well as compensation (which I wasn't banking on) - but not without chasing them, writing emails, and generally worrying about it. After hearing about other people's experience with flight cancellation, it seems that other airlines often organise the hotel for their passengers, as well as shuttle them there in a taxi, give them meal vouchers, and bring them back the next day, all organised by the airline.

These provisions are clearly written in the regulation 261/2004, although it doesn't explicitly say that the airline must organise this for the passenger.

if the airline clerk tells me that I have to organise my own hotel through their website/app and claim expenses later, can I insist that they do this for me, as well as take me there, give me meal vouchers etc or are they allowed to insist that I do this for myself?

Answer 1

You can insist, doesn't mean they will do it.

Per EU Law

If your flight has been delayed by at least three hours or cancelled then you have the right to compensation under European law. Under EU Regulation 261/2004, passengers are entitled to up to €600 (£509) in compensation when their flight lands at their destination more than three hours late.

In your case, Amsterdam to Bordeaux is less than 1500 km, thus you were entitled to €250. Yes they must also offer you meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation as appropriate whilst you wait for a rearranged flight and cover any transport costs between the hotel and the airport. There are no time or monetary limits on the provision of this assistance.

Ultimately although you cannot compel them to organize the accommodation, hotel, meals and refreshments I expect them to reach a reasonable compromise with you on the cost you incurred on organizing those for yourself, in addition to your €250 cash compensation.