Frequently asked questions on passenger rights

You can check the status of your file at any time through the Electronic Headquarters of AESA, in the section "My Applications". To access, you must identify yourself with the same method you used when filing the claim (Digital Certificate, ID or Cl@ve). If you do not have an electronic certificate, you can send us an inquiry through the following link.

In fact, disputes between airline and passenger have to be resolved first. Before going to AESA, you must claim the airline through its customer service channels (web form, postal mail, etc.) and keep the proof. You must give them at least one month to respond. If they do not reply or the answer is unsatisfactory, you can already submit the complaint to EASA.

According to Regulation (EC) 261/2004, its main rights are: 1) Right to Information; 2) Right of Attention (food, drink, accommodation if necessary and transport between the airport and the hotel), and 3) Right to Refund or Alternative Transport. In addition, depending on the circumstances, you may be entitled to financial compensation.

This type of complaint is outside the scope of AESA, you must address your complaint to the consumer authorities of your Autonomous Community or, ultimately, to the courts of law.

It depends on the date of your flight. For flights from 02/06/2023, the EASA decision is binding. The airline has a period of 1 month to comply. If you do not do so, you can request the enforcement of the decision directly before the commercial court. For previous flights, the report was not binding and their only option is to go to court, providing the EASA report.

If you are a citizen of an EU country, a passport is not required to travel to another EU or Schengen country. However, you should always carry a valid identity card proving your nationality, such as your ID card or passport itself.

Each airline sets its own time limit for showing up at the gate. Check this information on your boarding pass. If you don't show up on time, the airline may not accept you on the flight.

It depends on the policy of each airline. You must consult in advance with the airline the conditions for the transport of animals, either in the cabin or in the hold, and prepare all the documentation required before the trip.

The airline is obliged to offer you a choice between: 1) Full refund of the ticket; or (2) Re-routing to their final destination as quickly as possible; or 3) Re-routing at a later date that suits you.

The refund in the form of a bonus is an option that requires your express acceptance. If you prefer reimbursement in money, you have the right to demand it.

There are three distinct rights: Refund is the refund of the ticket price if you do not travel. Maintenance and Assistance Expenses cover food, hotel, etc. costs while you wait. Compensation is a fixed financial compensation (250€-600€) for inconvenience caused by a long delay, cancellation or denied boarding.

You are entitled to compensation if you arrive at your final destination three hours or more after the originally scheduled time of arrival. The hour that counts is the opening of at least one of the doors of the aircraft.

These are situations beyond the control of the airline that could not have been avoided, such as, for example, a driver's strike or bad weather. The airline must prove it. Technical problems or strikes by its own staff are generally not extraordinary circumstances. Even if the circumstance is extraordinary, you are still entitled to assistance (food, drink, hotel).

No. These expenses, known as "destination damage" (hotels, rental cars, events), cannot be claimed through AESA's RAL procedure. To do so, you must go to the courts of law.

Your rights in this case are protected by the Montreal Convention. You must claim directly from the airline, submitting a Baggage Irregularity Part (PIR) before leaving the airport. AESA has no competence in these claims.

Indeed, it can claim. However, in order to protect your right to use the return flight, you must inform the airline of your intention to use it within 24 hours after the scheduled time of the outbound flight you did not use. If, having given notice, you are denied boarding, you can complain to AESA.

No. Correcting a typographical error in the name should not be an additional charge, as it is considered an exercise of the right to rectify data. Contact the airline to request the correction as soon as possible.

It is any person whose mobility is reduced due to disability (physical, intellectual) or age, and who needs adequate care and adaptation of the service to their particular needs.

Indeed, you are entitled to free assistance at all EU airports. It is essential that you request it at least 48 hours before departure, both from the airline and from the airport manager.

Recognised assistance dogs must be admitted to the cabin at no additional cost. You must notify the airline in advance and look at the conditions of each of them in these cases.

It can transport up to two mobility equipment at no additional cost. You must inform the airline of the characteristics of your equipment (weight, dimensions, etc.) at the time of booking.

To complain to AESA you will need: Prior claim to the air carrier. Remember that, before going to AESA, you must claim the company. You have a period of five years from the date of the flight on which the incident occurred. You have at your disposal the following model in case the company does not have the corresponding form: Pre-complaint form to the airline. Answer from the airline. Boarding pass, ticket or transport contract. If it is a connecting flight, you must provide the full reservation. Current identification document (DNI/NIE/passport) of the passengers submitting the claim and, where applicable, of the representative. Do not forget to provide all the faces of the identification document of each of the passengers and readable. Authorization of representation for each of the passengers represented. If there are minor passengers in the claim, it will be necessary to prove the filiation. If the representation is exercised by the person who has custody of the child, parenthood shall be established by: family book, (with all the sheets proving the filiation,) birth certificate (literal or extract), registration in the Civil Registry or judicial judgment where custody is established. In addition, for children under 14 years of age or more, it will be mandatory to present the minor's ID. If the representation is exercised by a person other than the person holding custody, he shall, in addition to the documents referred to in paragraph 6.a, present a representative authorisation granted by the person holding custody of the represented child. Tickets, invoices or documents proving the expense and the concept of the expense you claim.

AESA only supports handwritten signatures that match the signature of your identity card. Please note that it is not acceptable to insert an image with the signature. It can also be identified by valid electronic signatures, such as the digital certificate or the Cl@ve Firma.

If you are travelling as a family, you can submit a single claim in which one passenger represents the others, attaching a representative authorisation signed by each of the represented adults.

You can use the semi-face-to-face route. Fill in the online form and, at the end, the system will generate a PDF that must be printed, signed in manuscript and presented in an official register.

Each European Authority has its own resolution procedure. In the following links you have the contact lists for passenger rights issues (Reg 261/2004) and for PMR issues (Reg 1007/2006): Competent authorities 261/2004, Competent authorities 1107/2006

Key deadlines are: You have five years to claim from the airline, from the date of the flight on which the incident occurred. Once the previous claim has been submitted to the company, you have to wait for its response. If you do not receive it in a month, or are not satisfied with it, you can complain to AESA. The complaint to AESA must be submitted within a maximum period of one year from the time the previous complaint was submitted to the company. If AESA observes that documentation is missing or there is an error in it, it will notify you of a request for rectification, so that you can present what is missing within 10 working days (not counting weekends or holidays).

Notifications are received in “My Citizen Folder” (https://citizen folder.gob.es/folder/clave.htm). You will need to identify yourself with Digital Certificate, DNIe or Cl@ve. Remember that you have 10 calendar days (including weekends and holidays) to access notifications.

The deadline for accessing electronic notifications is 10 calendar days (including weekends and holidays), through the following link: https://notifications.060.en. If you do not agree in time, you will be deemed to have rejected the notification, and AESA will consider it notified. If the notification contains a time limit, it will start counting from that moment.

It means that some document is missing or there is an error. You have 10 working days to provide what is requested through the Electronic Headquarters. If you do not do so, your file will be closed.

Natural days are every day of the year (Monday to Sunday, including holidays). Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Indeed, for all complaints relating to flights as of 02/06/2023, the decision issued by AESA is binding and binding on the company, which has one month to comply with the decision.

If as a passenger you do not agree with the decision, you can go to the courts of law. Except in the case where the decision informs you of the inadmissibility of your claim for not having provided all the mandatory documentation to resolve it, where you can request a review.

Indeed, if you file a lawsuit while your EASA file is pending, you must notify EASA so that they can suspend their administrative procedure. However, this route prevails over AESA's claim, which will be suspended until the court action is resolved.

Of course, you can initiate proceedings in EASA for the rights under Regulation No 261/2004, in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights, and, in parallel, file a court action for matters relating to your baggage, governed by the Montreal Convention.