Flight chaos: who is entitled to refunds and how to get them

You can ask for your ticket to be reimbursed but you are not entitled to the €600 bonus: it is a case of force majeure for which the airlines cannot do anything. Last night's stoppage at northern airports will have repercussions: Codacons announces a complaint to the public prosecutor's office in Milan. The hypothesis is: interruption of a public service. In the meantime, can ticket money be recovered? Passengers involved in the flight disruptions linked to the breakdown at Enav's North-West Radar Centre are entitled to reimbursement and assistance, as provided for by EC Regulation 261/2004, says the company specialising in air transport RimborsoAlVolo.

Even in exceptional circumstances such as the one recorded on 27 June 2025, if the flight is cancelled or subject to a long delay, the airline has an obligation to provide passengers with assistance in the form of meals and refreshments in relation to the waiting time, hotel accommodation if one or more overnight stays are necessary, transfer from the airport to the place of accommodation and vice versa, two telephone calls or messages by telex, fax or e-mail. If the assistance is not guaranteed and the passenger has had to pay for meals, drinks, taxis or hotels, the airline must reimburse the expenses incurred, provided that they are reasonable and appropriate: to this end, it is a good idea to keep all receipts certifying such expenses, preferably in the name of the passenger, especially for taxis - explains RimborsoAlVolo.

In the event that a flight is cancelled due to the blackout, the airline must offer the choice between: reimbursement of the ticket and, in the event of a connection, a return flight to the departure airport as soon as possible; boarding on another flight to the final destination as soon as possible; or boarding on another flight at a later date. "Compensation of up to €600 per passenger is not foreseen: since it is a case of force majeure, the delay or cancellation of the flight is not attributable to the airline's responsibility," specifies Kathrin Cois, general manager of RimborsoAlVolo.

On the flight chaos that affected several airports in northern Italy on 27 June 2025Codacons announces a complaint to the Public Prosecutor's Office of Milan for the possible case of interruption of a public service. "What has happened in the past few hours represents a very serious episode that has brought the air transport sector to its knees, involving thousands and thousands of passengers. - Codacons denounces - An inefficiency even more serious because it occurs in the summer period, when Italians' departures for holidays and leisure trips increase". Finally Assoutenti: 'New technologies must be a guarantee of continuity and reliability, but yesterday's event shows that adequate risk management protocols are lacking. - declares president Gabriele Melluso - The European legislation on protection systems must be radically changed: an alternative system cannot limit itself to 'integration', but must guarantee 100 per cent data transmission in all conditions'.

Passengers on the Italo train stranded due to a breakdown yesterday afternoon at Anagni (Frosinone) were then put on another Italo train, which departed towards Naples. The other trains bound for Naples ran on the right-hand track from Rome to Anagni; while those bound for Rome ran on the conventional line from Cassino Sud to Rome. Delays reached 4 hours. There were also problems in Verona and fires along inland routes.