ISABEL GARCÍA Madrid
Madrid
Updated Tuesday, March 12, 2024-01:38
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That cheap is expensive is the saying that is most mentioned in the forums of
travelers affected by some practices of
low-cost
airlines
.
The controversial measures for hand luggage is one of them, as well as flight delays or cancellations and
denied boarding
against the passenger's will.
But there is one that is beginning to revolutionize the networks: that of the obligation to purchase flight connection insurance when
purchasing a ticket
with a stopover from the same company.
It happened to Eduardo, a user who criticized the measure on the TripAdvisor portal: "There was no way to remove this 35 euro insurance when making the purchase on
the airline's website
when I did not want to do so."
And also to this other one, Juan Antonio: "I bought two flights with the same company because I thought it was the cheapest fare and they gave me insurance that they didn't specify until the end."
Departure, for its part, complained like this: "When you book two flights through the company's website, it almost seems obligatory to purchase the
Doho Connect
option (which is not), which will add an extra cost of about 40 euros. They don't give you anything that they don't have to give you by default. Furthermore, the airport staff is totally UNKNOWN about this product.
A real SCAM
."
Capital letters are literal.
The three comments refer to the same
low cost company,
the British easyJet, on whose website it is mandatory to purchase the so-called Doho Connect service when you book a flight operated with
the same company with a stopover.
Something unnecessary, since according to the European Union, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and
Air Navigation Law 48/1960
in force in Spain, passengers who purchase this type of tickets have "the right to reach their final destination if they miss the first flight due to the delay or cancellation of the first in a manner beyond their control.
An Easyjet plane.
Of course, you are only entitled to all of this if the flights with a stopover are part of a
single reservation
.
If purchased separately or with different airlines, the protection fades.
But what happens if you actually pay them with the same company at the same time?
Some airlines allocate different reservations for each flight, adding
connection insurance
as an extra when purchasing, with an expense that can range from 15 to 50 euros on average.
"It is something completely illegal. They cannot sell you connection insurance for something that is already regulated and that is the
right of every passenger
," says Rubén Sánchez, spokesperson for the organization Facua (Consumers in Action), which is already preparing a complaint. against companies like easyJet or Transavia.
Economic compensation
The same opinion is held by Noemí Fernández, manager of Reclamatio.com, a portal specialized in helping travelers claim delays, cancellations,
overbooking
or luggage problems: "To begin with,
it is illegal to force you to buy any type of insurance
. It has It has to be something optional. By making separate reservations they ignore the possible problems that may arise in the connection. That's the trap," says the expert of this
online
company , which operates in
six European countries
(Spain, France, Germany, Italy , Portugal and Luxembourg) since 2017. In 2023 alone they managed more than 15,000 claims, which represented a recovery of four million euros in compensation for travelers.
In fact, according to current international regulations, if you miss a connecting flight purchased with the same company (and we insist: on the same reservation) and arrive at your
final destination
with a delay of more than two hours (if the route is up to 1,500 kilometers), three (from 1,500 to 3,500 kilometers) or four (more than 3,500 kilometers), you have the right to financial compensation, "which is calculated based on the
duration of the delay
and the distance to your final destination" , according to Regulation 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
In addition, the airline must provide vouchers redeemable for food and drink at the airport, free telephone calls, telexes, fax or email messages and hotel accommodation, as well as round-trip
transportation to and
from the airport, if the flight is postponed to the next day.
Movement in an airport.SHUTTERSTOCK
All of this is supposedly to be taken care of by the insurance that is acquired involuntarily when purchasing two flights from the same company with a stopover already mentioned, although international law already takes care of that.
The charge for
this plus
is automatically added to your purchase without appearing in the initial price and without being able to cancel it in any way.
In the case of easyJet, Transavia, Air Transat, Aegean, Pegasus or Jet2, "partners" of the Doho Connect platform (as it calls itself), which is responsible for
protecting
the traveler with this "connection insurance" for
"your peace of the mind"
, as the company itself points out.
"If your connecting flight is
delayed or cancelled,
we will rebook you on an alternative flight to your final destination," they say.
Double billing
Another aspect must be taken into account, the luggage, because if you check in you must also collect it at the stopover airport and check it in again: in no case does it reach the
final destination,
as these are individual reservations.
An example: if you travel to Edinburgh via London from Madrid, you must pick up your suitcase in the English capital and go to the
check-in counter
for your next flight.
"If you make a reservation on our platforms, you book two separate flights directly with the airlines. Therefore, when you arrive at the
connecting airport
, you will need to collect your luggage and check it in yourself for your next flight," specifies Doho Connect.
Furthermore, if check-in involves an extra cost, it would also have to be paid for each flight operated, thus multiplying the expense.
This type of
extra insurance
services does make sense, however, when routes are purchased from different airlines, since in this way there is no
right to assistance
if the first one is delayed or canceled, not being able to take the second one.
If this occurs, the insurance contracted guarantees assistance through the corresponding platform.
In the case of easyJet, for example, it not only uses it with its own flights, but also with
"carefully selected partners"
such as "numerous global airlines and Deutsche Bahn trains."
The latter is done through its
Worldwide by easyJet
program , which, according to what the British company has declared to EL MUNDO, facilitates passengers traveling in connection "with the purchase of two easyJet flights or an easyJet flight that connects with an airline associated with Worldwide. In this way,
flight reservations
are made individually, "which means that passengers will receive two reservation references.
Worldwide does not currently facilitate
baggage check-in,
so customers wishing to purchase baggage must pay per flight and for each checked baggage."
According to easyJet,
"customer peace of mind"
is one of the priorities of this proposal.
"In the unlikely event that a customer experiences a disruption that causes them to miss their second flight, our partner Dohop will protect their next flight and cover
additional travel expenses
, such as hotel accommodation and meals."
And the question is: if the client does not want to hire this service, what should they do?
"They can book two different flights through eayJet.com, but
they will not be protected in the event of any interruption
," the airline tells EL MUNDO.
For its part, Transavia also uses
Smart Connect,
available for the company's flights, as well as for connections with other airlines through Dohop.
From the
low cost
they assure that this way you can "easily combine flights" indicating only their origin and destination.
"Once you have made your reservation, you will receive an
with a different confirmation for each of your flights, as well as a
summary of your trip
, sent by our partner Dohop," they add.
What they do not specify, once again, is that if they are flights from the same company, this insurance (and therefore that extra expense) is unnecessary.
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