Tuesday, November 22, 2005

LAN CHILE ACCUSED OF MISLEADING ADVERTISING

Travelers are most likely to complain about flight delays and lost luggage says José Roa, director of the National Consumer Service (SERNAC), but most passengers have no idea about what rights they actually have.

According to Chile’s Aeronautic laws, travelers do have the right to complain and be compensated for inconveniencies while traveling with airlines. These complaints must be resolved by the airline company within 25 days or the passenger has the right to seek redress in court.

Legitimate complaints include flight delays, property damage, suspension of travel, or loss of life or limbs.

For example, if your plane is delayed for more than two hours, you can ask for a snack and should be able to make some phone calls. If your flight is interrupted or suspended, hopefully not while you are actually in the air, companies are required to reimburse the price of your ticket proportionate to the distance not yet covered, provide transportation to the original destination either with the company or a different company, or return you to the point of departure with reimbursement for the total cost of your ticket.

Perhaps you find yourself stuck at the airport, were you bumped off the passenger list? Hopefully you confirmed your ticket, because if so, you are entitled to monetary rewards for the inconvenience, as well as passage on another flight. If you are really put out, you can ask for a complete refund.

Also, according the Chilean law, you are entitled to financial redress should you die while traveling. How much though depends on your destination, the best case scenario is to die en route to another country, you get much less if you were only going to a short distance.

In all cases you should start complaining at the airport and not stop until you exhaust the patience of the company’s staff. According to SERNAC, the primary reason most passengers get no relief is that they are unaware of their rights.

So, tune in, turn on, and start raising your voice.

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