Airlines around the world operate quite efficiently and responsibly, because the area of their specialization will not tolerate any other attitude. Despite this, in terms of service and the overall quality of some services, these organizations often exceed their authority or violate.
In such a situation, people who have suffered from poor quality services provided by the airline have every right complain about it, and in some cases, even compensate for the damage received. We will talk in more detail about the procedure for filing complaints against airlines and filing them in their name in the article below.
Filing a complaint is the right of every airline customer
Making claims against the airline is a special right of any client of this organization. It is important to understand that this right can only be exercised if the citizen has actually suffered from the company’s activities. Otherwise, if the claims are extremely subjective and unfounded, they should not be presented, because such an event is a waste of time.
The most common example of an unfounded claim against an airline is a situation in which a client who has purchased a flight ticket returns it to the ticket office on his own initiative and demands a refund, but in turn, the money is not returned.
Please note that such circumstances are not a reason to file a complaint, since the legislation of the Russian Federation allows not to return the cost of air tickets if they are returned by the client on his own initiative.
However, in addition to the previously presented reasons for filing claims with the airline, there are also completely justified ones. For example:
- Flight delay;
- failure to fulfill the company's obligations to provide citizens with normal conditions of stay during a flight delay (lack of soft drinks, hot food, etc.);
- various types of abuse of power on the part of employees of the organization - boorish behavior, failure to provide the necessary things, and the like;
- denial of flight due to illegal circumstances;
- flight cancellation;
- changing flight times without notifying customers;
- other types of violations in the airline’s activities that violate the rights of customers.
It is worth noting that the claim will be considered justified if there is evidence that the client is right: a note on the ticket about the flight delay, testimony from other participants in the events and other evidence that can be presented by the citizen. In the absence of such, defending rights will become much more difficult, and sometimes even impossible.
The procedure for drawing up a claim and its sample
Airline claim - official document
As you can see, creating and submitting a claim to the airline is not that difficult. The main thing in this procedure is to adhere to the previously presented order and act in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. We hope the article provided answers to your questions. Good luck in defending your rights!
This video will tell you what to do if your luggage goes missing at the airport:
Where can I complain about an airline if it provides unfair services to customers? This question becomes especially relevant during the summer holiday season, when millions of our fellow citizens are forced to use the services of air carriers. The rules for the transportation of air passengers and their baggage in our country are regulated by a special set of regulations - the Air Code (FAP).
There may be several reasons for filing a complaint against an air carrier. The most common situations are:
- Flight delay due to the fault of the airline.
- In case of a long flight delay, the airline did not provide its customers with hotel accommodation and hot meals.
- Airline employees went beyond their official duties.
- Flight cancellation due to reasons other than force majeure.
- Without good reason, company employees refuse to serve a client.
In case of the above violations, a complaint against the airline may be submitted to several authorities. These include:
- Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights.
- Rospotrebnadzor authorities.
- Agency air transport(FAVT).
- Prosecutor's office.
- Courts.
Let's look at how to file a complaint against an air carrier with each of these supervisory organizations.
This organization is designed to identify violations of established standards when providing various services to consumers. OZPP has the right to conduct inspections based on applications from citizens who have suffered from the actions of unscrupulous sellers, manufacturers, and service providers. Based on the results of the inspection, OPP employees draw up a report listing all identified violations, which is submitted to the authorities authorized to impose penalties - the prosecutor's office, the court, and industry supervisory organizations.
There are several ways to submit a complaint to the Company:
- By sending a written complaint to the address of the regional office of the OPP. To do this, you should use a registered letter with notification of delivery of the item to the addressee. This way you will be sure that your complaint against the air carrier has reached the right address and has been accepted for consideration. It is advisable to attach to the application any accompanying documents confirming the correctness of your claims against the airline - photocopies of tickets, reports of damage or loss of luggage, and so on.
- Contact your local branch of the Society by telephone and report the violation. In this situation, it is also possible to obtain advice from specialists regarding the procedure for collecting compensation from the air carrier.
- Via email, sending a completed complaint either in the form of a letter or as a digitized document. Email address - [email protected].
- When visiting the OPP office in person. You can make an appointment with the authorized person in advance by telephone.
Rospotrebnadzor was created not so long ago - in 2004, by combining the sanitary-epidemiological service and trade inspection. The organization exercises a very wide range of powers - from supervising the quality of services in the trade sector, to ensuring control over the sanitary and epidemiological situation in public places. There are branches of Rospotrebnadzor in every subject of the federation.
The powers of this federal body are much broader than those of the consumer rights protection society. Thus, Rospotrebnadzor has the right to suspend the activities of any commercial organization operating in the consumer market if it detects serious violations of the current regulations for the provision of services or the provisions of sanitary and hygienic standards. You can also contact the Federal Service in several ways:
- Personal appeal to an authorized service employee. During a conversation with a specialist from the supervisory authority, the applicant can either verbally state the essence of his complaint or submit a pre-drafted statement with complaints about the actions of the airline. The filed complaint is registered in the accounting journal, after which a consideration of the application on the merits of the case is initiated.
- By telephone, you can, having outlined the essence of the complaint, receive advice from a Rospotrebnadzor specialist regarding the eligibility of your complaint, the procedure for drawing up a written complaint, and the algorithm of actions to protect your consumer rights.
- By sending a written complaint against the airline’s actions to the territorial body of Rospotrebnadzor. The complaint must be accompanied by all the evidence you have to support your case.
- Through the official website rospotrebnadzor.ru, section “Appeals”. To do this, you will need to fill out the electronic form provided on the website. Another option for filing a complaint against an air carrier via the Internet is using the Gosuslugi online portal. If the applicant is authorized, such an electronic request is automatically considered as a basis for verifying the competence of the airline’s actions.
Rosaviatsia, also known as the Federal Agency for Air Transport, is a special division of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for all aspects of air transportation and related matters. additional services. With the help of the FAVT, government agencies regulate, supervise and manage the air transport sector. There are territorial offices of the Federal Air Transport Agency in every federal district, as well as in the most large regions. In total, there are 15 local branches throughout the country, covering the entire territory of Russia with their activities.
The FAVT is in charge of all aviation companies that provide commercial services on both domestic and international airlines. The Federal Air Transport Agency has the right to take various disciplinary measures against air carriers that violate the rules of the air code, up to and including revocation of their license. You can file a complaint with Rosaviatsiya employees in the following ways:
- By mail, sending a written complaint by registered mail to the local branch of the FAVT.
- Using the Internet, sending an email with a claim to the mailbox [email protected], or leaving a complaint on the official website www.favt.ru/obrawenija-grazhdan.
- By calling the specialists of the territorial office Federal agency on air transport.
- By personally visiting the office of the Federal Air Transport Agency and stating the essence of your complaint to the Agency employees, or by filing a paper with a complaint against the airline.
Appealing to the judicial authorities or the prosecutor's office is an extreme step when appealing to the relevant authorities has not yielded any significant results. Or the airline client has suffered some physical, material or moral damage, and intends to, with the help of the justice authorities, seek compensation from the airline.
You can submit an application to the prosecutor's office:
- By registered mail.
- By personally visiting the district prosecutor's office at your place of residence.
- Through the official website of the district prosecutor's office, using the online reception.
To initiate a lawsuit, you will need to draw up and submit a statement of claim to the court secretariat. In this case, it is important to observe the rule of jurisdiction of the case: if the amount of the claim is less than 50 thousand rubles, then the claim is sent to the magistrate’s court, but if it is higher than the specified amount, then to the district or city court. Along with the claim, which clearly and clearly states the illegal actions of the airline employees, you should submit:
- Receipt for payment of state tax.
- Documents confirming attempts to pre-trial resolve the problem - a photocopy of the application to the air carrier demanding payment of compensation.
- Documentary evidence of damage incurred from the actions of airline employees.
After filing a complaint against the airline with any of the listed authorities, it must, within the time limits established by law, begin checking the facts stated in your application. Supervisory authorities are required to notify the complainant about the results of the inspection. If they violate the deadlines for considering the application, it is recommended to contact higher authorities with a complaint about the inaction of employees of these organizations.
