Transportation: EU Announcement on Passenger Rights and Icelandic Volcanic Cloud

Today, in response to the expanding Icelandic volcanic cloud that has extensively disrupted air travel, EU Vice President Siim Kallas announced that "EU passenger rights continue to apply and air travellers should speak up to claim their rights." Those rights, which were established by the EU Directive on air passenger rights (Regulation 261/2004), include (1) "the right to receive information from airlines (e.g. on your rights, on the situation as it evolves, cancellations and length of delays)"; (2) "the right to care (refreshments, meals, accommodation as appropriate)"; and (3) "the right to cho[o]se between reimbursement of fares or be re-routed to final destination." The EU release added that "[i]n an exceptional circumstance such as this, passengers are not however entitled to additional financial compensation that would be the case where delays or cancellations are the fault of the airline."