Delayed trains and planes? At least let's get a refund. As.

"He was always late, on principle, being one of his theories that punctuality is the thief of time", wrote Oscar Wilde in the pages of The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Italian railway system is certainly not deaf to the call. Indeed, in many cases they seem to make it a daily mantra. Of course, it's not always the fault of Trenitalia, decidedly the most targeted if only because it serves more destinations and owns more convoys, or the competitor Italo (New Passenger Transport). Travelers' torments are not always their direct responsibility: think of copper thefts or accidents.

But how do we behave when the Italian railway companies are decidedly responsible? The types of refunds to which we are entitled (by law and not by courtesy) are many, but the request methods are complex or difficult to trace, even to interpret, so much so that just as often venturing into the jungle of refund requests makes even more afraid of reliving a day of strikes and delays. The temptation to let go is strong. If everything were simpler, and information truly accessible and manageable, it would certainly be worth investing a few moments of our time to support our good reasons. Here then a guide on how to behave to ask, and above all to get, what every traveler deserves.

IF THE TRAIN GOES ON AND OFF

The two macro areas identified by Trenitalia are that of reimbursements and that of compensation.

Refunds

Refunds for reasons attributable to Trenitalia for national trains

The ticket is considered totally unused or partially not used in the following cases:

• when the departure of the train is delayed by at least one hour;
• when the journey cannot be started by order of the public authority;
• when it is objectively foreseeable that the delay in arrival at the final destination specified in the transport contract is more than 60 minutes compared to the scheduled time;
• when the reserved seat is not actually available or when the class or service used is lower than those referred to in the traveller's ticket;
• in the case of assignment of a different berth to the one indicated on the ticket;
• there is a delay in the delivery of the ticket purchased.

Refunds for reasons attributable to Trenitalia for regional trains

The causes referred to in this paragraph may occur due to failure to carry out the journey for reasons attributable to the Italian State Railways or by order of the Public Authority or due to a strike by the railway personnel, or again due to lack of available seat in the class of validity of the ticket.

In this case, a full refund of the ticket is made at all ticket offices, even if it has already been validated. The ticket office provides the refund directly when it is in a position to verify the circumstances justifying the full refund: otherwise it will forward the request presented in writing to the competent Regional Directorate. For the regional electronic ticket, the refund request must always be submitted in writing.

Who can submit the refund

Those who are dealing with the presentation of the refund request must know that they can present it in person if the ticket is nominative, or the holder of the non-nominal ticket can present it, if traveling in a group it is the organizer of the trip who is responsible . Or, if you want to share the inconvenience of the delay, delegate the request to someone.

Who to submit the refund request to

The duly completed refund request can be forwarded to the authorized ticket offices, to the agency that issued the ticket, to the Regional/Provincial Directorates for special trains, or to the competent Regional/Provincial Directorates for the departure stations of the journey, in case of closed or absent departure ticket office. The request for refunds must be sent by post, within 24 hours of the event, together with the original ticket, from the place of departure or from the place of issue of the ticket, provided it does not coincide with the place of arrival.

How to submit a refund request

In any case, the refund request must be presented using the appropriate form within the period of use of the ticket and in any case before validation, or within 30 minutes of validation provided that the request is presented at the authorized ticket office of the departure station. The refund request can be submitted in two ways:

• oralif the ticket is refundable on sight and without the need for further investigation;
• scritta (free card for requests from unattended stations or the specific request form) if a refund is requested:

1. due to prohibition by the public authority or due to FS reasons that cannot be immediately verified by the ticket office;
2. for special trains;
3. when the ticket offices are closed.

How the refund is made

The refund will be made in cash at the ticket office or by cheque, bank transfer or bonus and can be used within one year of issue.

If the ticket office is closed or absent, the request must be made in writing to the competent Regional Directorate, attaching the original ticket. The series is so broad that it also includes circumstances that do not imply a direct responsibility of the manager: it is the case, for example, of the traveler who requests a refund of the ticket for his renunciation of the journey on a national train or for renunciation of the journey on a regional train. If the user chooses not to continue his journey on a national train and if the type of ticket he has purchased allows it, it is possible to request a refund of the ticket with the application of a 20% deduction.

It is possible to request a refund before the departure time of the booked train or through the official Trenitalia app, or by telephoning the Call Center or at any ticket office or in the agency where the ticket was purchased. Instead, after the departure time of the booked train, it is not possible in any way to request a refund for canceling the journey.

Refunds for cancellation of travel for national trains

In the event that the traveler intends to renounce the entire trip and if the type of ticket allows it, it is possible to request a refund with the application of a deduction on the amount paid.

Renounce the journey on a regional train

Only the annual regional season ticket can be refunded and before the start of its validity, with a 5% deduction. The refund of the regional ticket must be requested by 23 pm on the day before the date indicated on the ticket, at any ticket office or at the authorized travel agency that issued it or by sending the written request to the competent Regional/Provincial Directorate for the departure station.

Since more and more users are resorting to the regional electronic ticket (BER), it is good to explain how it is possible to request a refund: also in this case the official Trenitalia app comes to the rescue of the traveller, who can otherwise consult the website www.trenitalia.com. A 20% deduction is always deducted from the sum to be refunded, unless otherwise provided for by the individual rates. No refund will be made if the sum to be paid, after the withholding tax has been applied, is equal to or less than 8 euros.

Allowance

With regard to the indemnity chapter, however, the following cases are considered:

Compensation for delays of between 30 and 59 minutes for Frecce trains

In the event of a delay in the arrival of Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca trains of between 30 and 59 minutes, Trenitalia recognizes as compensation a bonus equal to 25% of the ticket price which can be used within 12 months to purchase a new ticket. However, the bonus does not accumulate with the indemnity recognized in the event of a delay of more than 60 minutes or with other types of indemnity.

Compensation for delays exceeding 59 minutes

In the event of a delay in arrival of more than 59 minutes, Trenitalia pays an indemnity equal to:

• 25% of the ticket price for a delay between 60 and 119 minutes;
• 50% of the ticket price for a delay of at least 120 minutes.

It is the customer who chooses the method of payment of the indemnity:

• with a bonus for buying a new ticket within 12 months;
• in cash for payments made in cash;
• by re-crediting payments made by credit card.

The indemnity is due to the customer even in the case of tickets purchased in full or in part with another indemnity bonus and is calculated with respect to the total price of the entire travel solution.

Compensation for delays for regional transport travellers

If you have purchased a regional transport ticket, you can request compensation by filling in the form available at the ticket office and on the Trenitalia website and sending it by post to the Regional/Provincial Directorate competent for the travel destination, no later than 1 year from the event by attaching the original ticket stamped at departure and arrival or, in the case of an electronic ticket, the hard copy in Pdf. For the regional electronic ticket, validation of the ticket is required on board the train on which the traveler has traveled.

When and how to claim compensation

It is possible to request the indemnity after 24 hours from the execution of the trip and up to twelve months after the date on which the delay occurred or the expiry of the subscription (of the pass or other specific cards), in the following ways:

• filling in the appropriate form available on the Trenitalia website;
• on the Trenitalia website, only for tickets purchased online or on the app, using the "Request Compensation" function available after calling up the travel details or from the reserved area;
• to the travel agency that issued the ticket;
• at any ticket office;
• at the Call Center, only for tickets purchased through the Call Center or on this website and app.

Italo

While explanations abound on Trenitalia's official website, even if juggling the myriad of cases can force the surrender of even the most patient person in the world, that of Italo – Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori appears at least more schematic and is divided, within the macro-area related to the FAQ, in refunds and delays and cancellations. In detail:

Refunds

If the traveler can no longer leave, is it possible to request a refund?

You can obtain a ticket refund only if you have purchased a flexible ticket which includes a refund in its conditions. Each traveler will have to consult the different types of offers and check which conditions apply to their choice. If provided for by the fare conditions, you can request a refund within three minutes of the departure of your train directly on the italotreno.it website in the "Change booking" section by entering your details, otherwise you can go to the ticket offices in the station or call Italo Assistance at number 892020, which is paid.
If, on the other hand, the ticket was purchased through an agency, it can only be reimbursed through the same agency or by contacting Italo Assistance on 892020, the number is always toll-free.

If I pay for the same ticket twice, who can I contact for a refund?

If you ran into problems during your purchase and there are multiple transactions for the same ticket, you can consult the "Do It Yourself" section on the page Website assistance or contact Italo Assistance on 892020. You will be asked for the details of the purchase and will be provided with all the information to obtain a refund of the incorrectly paid amount.

Delays and cancellations

What if the train arrives late at its destination?

Between 60 minutes and 119 minutes of delay in arrival, Italo automatically recognizes compensation equal to 25% of the ticket price. With an arrival delay of more than 120 minutes, Italo automatically recognizes compensation equal to 50% of the ticket price.
The compensation will be recognized automatically within 30 days via voucher or, if the traveler is registered in the Italo Più program, on Borsellino Italo. In both cases, Italo sends an email communicating the indemnity and the traveller's credit can be checked directly on the italotreno.it website by going to the "Assistance" section.

What do I need to do to receive reimbursement / compensation for delays or cancellations?

Compensation is recognized automatically within 30 days. To speed up the re-credit operations, this is disbursed via voucher, Credito Italo or, for members of the Italo Più program, on Borsellino Italo.

To verify the refund, you can access the "Do it yourself" section located on the "Assistance" page of the Italian site and click on "Monetize Compensation" if the traveler has a voucher or on "Verify your Italo Credit".

To verify that the credit has been re-credited to Borsellino Italo, however, you must access the site with your account and consult your Personal Area.

IF THE INCONVENIENCES ARE ON THE FLY

But what happens instead if you are at the airport ready to leave, with suitcases and bags prepared weeks before in the hope of taking the plane to fly on vacation and the plane doesn't take off? Or if you are at the airport waiting for the flight to Milan to attend that congress for which you have studied so much and the plane is delayed? Or still after a year abroad wishing to go home in time and embrace your cases again after all those weeks and the train is overbooked?

Here, the exact same thing that happened for trains can happen: the plane may not arrive, not leave, be canceled and in the meantime, at the airport, travelers were told that the delay was only twenty minutes, then another twenty, and again twenty until exceeding one, two hours of waiting, when more than the waiting the companies have deceived the travellers.

So how do you do it with planes, will it be a crazy journey to recover reimbursements even in this circumstance? In the case of a refund request, the panacea is a European Union standard – regulation 261 of 2004 – together with the creation of the latest generation apps capable of managing passenger complaints.

Therefore, if the flight is delayed, has been canceled or there is a case of overbooking compared to the seats that can actually be occupied on the plane, the traveler has the right to be reimbursed. Furthermore, if a flight has been delayed, canceled or overbooked in the last 5 years, you are entitled to compensation, because the European regulation 261 of 2004 is retroactive.

The European regulation, in particular, applies to passengers traveling with an aircraft of a European company and who depart from a member state of the European Union or who travel to a member country from a third country. Furthermore, the regulation states that if the delay accumulated by the plane was equal to or greater than three hours compared to those scheduled, each traveler is entitled to 250 euros in reimbursement for distances of up to 1.500 kilometres, 400 for distances between 1.500 and 3.500 kilometers and for intra-European flights of over 1.500 kilometres, 600 for routes over 3.500 kilometres. If the flight delay or cancellation was caused by an extraordinary circumstance, such as in the case of a strike, adverse weather conditions or other causes not directly attributable to the airline, you are not entitled to request any refund.

Whatever happens at any European airport, the prospective passenger is entitled to assistance which translates into food, drinks, hotel, transfer costs not at his expense, ticket refund and return flight to the place from which the traveler embarked the journey if the delay exceeds five hours and the passenger decides not to continue the journey. In the event of overbooking however, the passenger is entitled to assistance and transfer to the next available flight. Persons with reduced mobility and their possible companions as well as unaccompanied children are entitled to priority in receiving assistance.

In the event of flight cancellation, the refund request cannot be requested if it falls within the case of exceptional circumstances such as, remember, strikes, security alarms and adverse weather conditions, furthermore, no refund can be accepted if the passenger has been warned of the cancellation flight at least 14 before the departure date or if, in any case, the changes, communicated within 7 days, involve delays of two hours for departure and four hours for arrival.

To get your refund, you need to know how to request it. This is why numerous platforms have been created over the years that deal with the whole process relating to the request for compensation for not being able to fly under the conditions that they had independently chosen. The apps all move from the same starting point: you provide personal data, flight data and accreditation data via a form to be filled in online, then the boarding pass and other necessary proofs with a description of what it happened and the assistance received.

Let's see which are the most popular platforms and which ones to rely on:

AirHelp

It is one of the best known and the most technological, since it focuses precisely on the speed proposed by the latest web news to reduce bureaucracy times and manages complaints from passengers who have been delayed in a smart way. This app retains 25% of the compensation as a service charge. Since its launch in 2013 AirHelp claims to have helped more than five million people deal with airline compensation claims worth €300 million in total refunds.

Delayed-flight.it
It is a site that has specialized systems for obtaining information about flights and weather conditions. In the event of a successful claim, Volo-in-tardardo.it withholds 25% of the sum from the customer, which also includes legal costs. In case of failure, however, the services are totally free.

Sosvolo.com
The platform takes charge and manages the case immediately, even if the website states that the time required to resolve the case largely depends on the behavior of the company. The compensation consists of the legal costs that the companies owe to the agencies in the event of acknowledgment of the claim and is independent of the compensation obtained. In case of failure, once again the consultation is free.

Compensationvolo.it
The practice can be started in a few simple steps: photos of the basic documents and online signature of the agreement. Unlike other competing apps, it deals with non-European cases, also applying the Montreal Convention which gives the power to initiate reimbursement requests also for cases of intercontinental travel operated by non-European companies, departing from a non-European country. If the platform obtains the refund, it retains a percentage ranging from 25% to 45%. In the event of a negative outcome, all costs incurred remain the responsibility of the site.

Reimbursement.it
It is the platform with which to make the request already at the airport, speeding up times. Within five days of the request, a formal notice is drawn up and sent to the defaulting company and, if the refund is denied, a summons. Assistance is free.

SkyGenius
SkyGenius withholds 25% + VAT to cover the costs of managing the case, only in case of success and also in case you have to go to court.

Noproblemflights.it
On the platform's website there is the Check your compensation function through which it eliminates requests that cannot obtain financial compensation. The agency retains 25%, including VAT, of the compensation obtained only in the event of a positive outcome of the request.

It is necessary to enter into the perspective that reimbursements are due to travelers for not having received or for having received partially and insufficiently a service for which they had paid and which was disregarded. On the other hand, no traveler should fight frantically for something that is rightfully his if all the circumstances of the case exist. Therefore more transparency on how to request reimbursements, more information for travelers even before running into the problem so that they already know the procedure to follow in the event of a train or plane delay and easier approach to the solution, via apps and fast sites to make the travel experience an adventure despite the moments of crisis, because those are not always avoidable.

What if you have arrived at your destination, for example New York City in the United States, while your baggage has arrived in Singapore in the state of Singapore?

Since the travel experience always counts in the round and even the unexpected are made to be remembered, it is good that travelers keep in mind some pre-departure precautions in preparing their hand luggage, the one that always saves everyone and in which it is good to store all valuables, documents and essential changes.

If the baggage that you thought was in the hold is now in Singapore, however, it is good to understand how to recover it. First of all, you need to travel at the Lost & Found office present in all airport terminals and where it is possible to report the disappearance of baggage by showing an identity document, the travel document and filling in the PIR (Property Irregularity Report) form which must indicate the characteristics of the baggage itself. At the time of the report, the traveler must indicate where he wants to have his suitcase returned.

The Lost & Found office will be able to inform travelers of the searches or the discovery of the baggage, which is officially declared missing after almost a month of unsuccessful searches. At that point you can ask for compensation.

To be responsible of loss is always and only the Airline. It is to the company that the traveler must send the registered letter with a request for compensation, which must include a copy of the plane ticket, the suitcase receipt and the form filled in at the Lost&Found office.

As for the claim instead, this is sent in case of damage to the baggage. The complaint must be sent within 7 days from the opening day of the PIR (Property Irregularity Report).

Many companies participate in the Montreal Convention for the unification of certain rules relating to international air transport, signed in Montreal on May 28, 1999 . As regards the amount of the compensation, it is necessary to distinguish between the Community airlines which adhere to the aforementioned convention and those which do not adhere to it.

In the first case, the passenger is entitled to compensation of up to 1.000 SDRs (Special Drawing Rights), which correspond to approximately 1.164 euros, for each piece of checked baggage and in relation to the damage actually suffered. In the second case, the amount of compensation is limited to 17 SDRs, equal to approximately 19 euros per kg of baggage carried.

Let's see if Alitalia loses the luggage

Alitalia uses the World Tracer a baggage tracking system that allows for a more detailed search that can be followed online. The Italian flag carrier invites you to go to the Baggage Assistance Office where, after completing the PIR, you will be given a first-needed kit with toiletries.

Baggage searches will continue for 45 days. At the end of the 45th day the baggage will be declared officially lost and at that point compensation can be requested by sending within 2 years of the disservice: signed reporting letter, Baggage Irregularity Report (PIR) issued by the staff of the Baggage Assistance Office and ticket receipt and/or boarding pass. The company announces that its liability for lost luggage does not cover the liability for valuables. So if you choose to embark valuable items it is advisable to make a declaration of value at a cost of 50 euros and in case of loss there will be a refund of 500 euros.

Ryanair loses baggage

On its official website, the Irish low-cost airline defines the loss of baggage as 'improbable'. But in life "never say never" is a real mantra, so if the loss occurs, the procedure is the same as for other carriers: go to the baggage office, report the loss, fill in the PIR and follow up on the search World Tracer. The complaint must be made to the company within 21 days using the appropriate online form.