EU Airline Compensation

Chatting with a friend recently, she mentioned their 6 hour delay departing London due to engine repairs. When they finally arrived in Orlando she was handed an airline apology letter with a $25 Planet Hollywood gift card. 

Her husband was researching European Union Airline laws and she asked if I was familiar with the policy. I told her about our situation when we were bumped off an Air France compensated €300 each.

The irony was we had booked our flights using Delta points. Delta reassigned us to Air France and they bumped us back to the original Delta flight so we had a profit of $742 US in addition to the free flights. Thankfully we were given our refund at Charles de Gaulle airport before boarding.

Online I found information on European Union passenger rights regulations. EU and non-EU registered airlines are liable for monetary damages for lengthy delays over 2 hours or cancellations provided they are arrivals, departures, or flights within the European Union.

One may file a claim up to €250 on a flight fewer than 1500 km or up to €400 for a flight of 1500 to 3500 kilometers. For a flight more than 3500 kilometers one may claim up to €300 for a delay of 3 to 4 hours up to €600 or £509 for delay more than 4 hours. If you don't wish to file the paperwork yourself there are plenty of companies online to assist.

If an airline rejects the claim, a complaint may be lodged with the National Enforcement Body regarding your passenger rights in the case of a long delay, cancellation, denied boarding under regulation (EC) 261/2004. The NEB will then give a ruling explaining why a damage claim should or should not be paid.

My friend boasted they might be receiving £300 each. I told her I believed it would be close to twice that and offered to take only a 10% surcharge on anything over the £509. Her response, How about lunch?

180,000 Hilton Honors Points Richer

Thanks to the two American Express credit cards. Here is an update from my June 2nd blog.

It’s amazing how those bills come around like auto insurance(s), home insurance, electricity (we pay ahead), vacation expenses, rental car, gasoline, meals, etc. Yes, every monthly statement is paid off.

We used the Hilton Surpass Card for the first $3K in purchases within 3 months. The second Hilton Honors card does not have an annual fee or other perks and only required $2K in purchases within 3 months.

Biggest surprise... Foreign Transaction Fees! In the past my AmEx card waived Foreign Currency Charges. I assumed it was a universal policy throughout the company. I had not done my homework. After the first Login I found all those Canadian dollars converted to USD for a 2.7% fee.

Reviewing the small print terms, my favorite clause, ˜The conversion rate we (AmEx) use is no more than the highest official rate published by a government agency or the highest interbank rate we identify from customary banking sources on the conversion date or the prior business day.’

While my fees did not exceed $12, would have been nice to know...

In the August issue of Travel and Leisure Magazine I read a sidebar on Hilton Setting a New Standard. Apparently the author didn’t check with IHG MasterCard. Many of the same benefits, first year free, then $49 afterward, no foreign transaction fees, but they missed the best perk, no category restrictions on the anniversary night unlike Hilton and Marriott.  

Yesterday I attempted to use my Hilton Points to book multiple hotel stays for next spring. What a challenge, not only were they twice the points of an IHG Crown Plaza or Holiday Inn Express I could not find one of the 50 properties to work with Points and Money as the article boasted.

Curious I pulled up IHG for the same dates and locations. As little as 10K points I found multiple places to sleep. My sidebar, always sign up for the Accelerated Programs. Once I qualified for 50K bonus points above the basics. Hubby still talks about the free IHG anniversary night at the Crown Plaza Kensington UK, a value of 499 BPS as mentioned in my May 8th blog.

Now I am pondering if it will be difficult to use the Hilton anniversary night next June. Hopefully we’ll be pleasantly surprised and enjoy a delightful room in the perfect location. 

Touristy Taxes

My Tip! The server proclaimed to a table of four adults beside us in an upscale pizza restaurant. The small credit card machine printed out the customer's receipt. All four looked unfazed, and did not leave a monetary token behind.

Adjusting to the newest way to pay using a chip technology machine has probably cost many a wayward waiter their proper percentage. A few weeks ago in Canada we enjoyed numerous meals and not a duplicate handheld machine. Some wait staffers were over compensated while others had an extra few dollars as we miscalculated a gratuity.

The first meal we charged I thought the tip was included due to the 15% Canadian Tourist Tax on goods and services. Even the hotel parking fee had the additional 15% HST tax. Later that week, we were charged an even higher tax percentage on our lobster roll at Peggy's Cove.

In the US bold letters remind us 'Gratuity Not Included' on the lower half of the dinner checks in touristy beach areas. Last week we saw it in Tifton, Georgia. Then there's the Hotel Room Occupancy Tax in larger US cities like New York City (19%), Miami (6%) and San Francisco (14%).

By far the biggest tax surprise was the one paid to 'leave' Prince Edward Island. Entry is free and departing via the new toll bridge between New Brunswick and PEI listed $49 CDN. I am still trying to calculate the rate by way of Northumberland Ferries Ltd from Woods Islands, PEI to Caribou, Nova Scotia which included a 75 minute ride, 2 adults with vehicle for only $77 CDN.

BFL Digby, Nova Scotia to Saint John, New Brunswick, a 2.5 hour ride was $188 CDN. I used Ferries.ca to book both trips. They run promotions in April and May. If you use them for a crossing, the sofa and cushy seating were a pleasant surprise in addition to the chowders and fish dish. 

One never expects to pay for the convenience of an information kiosk or visitor center. So smile and graciously accept the free beautiful brochure and area map, if you need it. Realizing your tourist tax contribution is going to inform future visitors about the place you just enjoyed.