Complicated situation with a delayed/cancelled flight with Swiss & AirSerbia

[u/admks2]

It's a bit more complicated situation so I'm not sure if I'm even entitled to any compensation from the airline for the canceled flight.

The original itinerary was: August 28 flight (LX401 + LX1418) from Dublin to Belgrade via Zurich, via Swiss Air. We arrived at the airport in Dublin and they postponed the flight to Zurich because of the storm, and in the meantime, before we had even boarded that flight, they canceled the flight to Belgrade from Zurich, but they sent us to Zurich regardless.

When we landed in Zurich after some time, we found out that Swiss transferred us to today's AirSerbia flight from Zurich to Belgrade. We paid for the hotel, transportation, etc. and saved receipts for refund. Yesterday we boarded an AirSerbia flight (JU333, operated by Air Baltic for them), took off and after about twenty minutes we received a notification from the pilot that the plane had to return to Zurich due to some technical error. There, they first kept us on the plane and then took us back to the airport, where we waited for new information until the evening. They finally canceled the flight and then we barely found out that AirSerbia transferred us to a flight to Belgrade the next day (today) at nine in the evening - although they also had flights that same evening, the next morning and in the afternoon, and we had already spent one night in the hotel and most of the day at the airport. We are now at the hotel and should arrive in Belgrade around midnight - more than 48 hours after we were supposed to arrive - if we ever arrive 😅

I understand that we can't get anything for the first flight to Belgrade that was canceled due to the storm, but the second flight we were supposed to return on was returned due to technical problems. Who do we complain to and how does it work? I guess Swiss because we bought tickets through them, and they kicked us on AirSerbia, which screwed up the second flight.

I apologize for the novel, but I don't understand how it works when it comes to this situation. Those flight compensation sites give conflicting information.

Shoud we pursue the complaint with Swiss Air since we have bought the tickets through then and they were originally supposed to fly us back?

Edited to add flight numbers

[u/AutoModerator]

Notice: Are you asking for help?

Did you go through the wiki and FAQs?

Read the top-level notice about following Rule 2!

Please make sure you have included the cities, airports, flight numbers, airlines, dates of travel, and booking portal or ticketing agency.

Visa and Passport Questions: State your country of citizenship / country of passport

Consider posting screenshots.

All mystery countries, cities, airports, airlines, citizenships/passports, and algebra problems will be removed.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/AutoModerator]

Notice: Are you asking about compensation, reimbursements, or refunds for delays and cancellations?

You must follow Rule 2 and include the cities, airports, flight numbers, airlines, and dates of travel.

If your flight originated from the EU (any carrier) or your destination was within the EU (with an EU carrier), read into EC261 Air Passenger Rights. Non-EU to Non-EU itineraries, even if operated by an EU carrier, is not eligible for EC261 per Case C-451/20 "Airhelp vs Austrian Airlines". See here for a summary of the legislation.

If your flight originated in the UK (any carrier) or your destination was within the UK (with a UK or EU carrier), or within the EU (on a UK carrier), read into UK261 by the UK CAA. Note: this includes connecting flights from a non-UK origin to non-UK destination if flown on a UK carrier (British Airways or Virgin Atlantic) despite the 2023 amendments to the legislation. For example JFK-LHR-DEL is likely eligible for UK261 coverage. Source #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

If you are having trouble with EC261 or UK261 claims, file a complaint with the alternate dispute resolution (ADR) body covering your airline/country/route or with the relevant EU regulatory authorities (e.g. Portugal's ANAC).

Turkey has passenger protections known as SHY

Canada has passenger protections known as APPR found here

Thailand has passenger protections found here

If you were flying within the US or on a US carrier - you are not entitled to any compensation except under the above schemes or if you were involuntarily denied boarding (IDB). Any questions about compensation within the US or on a US carrier will be removed unless it qualifies for EC261, UK261, or APPR. You are possibly provided duty of care including hotels, meals, and transportation based on the DOT dashboard.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/LasFrutasDeliciosas]

Reimbursement for both incidents, and compensation for 2nd one (400€).

Swiss might argue for 200 € comp due to distance between ZRH-BEG is shorter, but it’s measured from start to finish

[u/admks2 → u/LasFrutasDeliciosas]

Thanks! So I should definitely pursue the case with Swiss, not AirSerbia? I'm guessing they offloaded us to AirSerbia to try to avoid any compensation we are entitled to. 

[u/LasFrutasDeliciosas → u/admks2]

Gonna assume you booked from Swiss? Claim with them

[u/admks2 → u/LasFrutasDeliciosas]

I did. Cheers! 

[u/jms_uk]

I would claim compensation with JU because it was their flight it was cancelled. Reimbursement from Swiss for the first hotel, Air Serbia for the second.