Can I get compensation for an early flight?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 23 Jul, 2023
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Firstly – more for the benefit of anyone else in this situation in the future – Vietnam Airlines should rebook you for free if your flight is scheduled to depart earlier than planned: https://www.vietnamairlines.com/en/terms-of-use/information-and-service-in-irregular-flight
The same link also alludes to compensation for delays of over 4 hours; for the benefit of anyone who speaks Vietnamese, it’s in regulation 14/2015/TT-BGTVT. In the case of a flight from Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi to Siem Reap, that would be 25 USD as both flights are under 1000km. It’s not clear to me whether this would also apply to an early departure, but regardless it does only apply if you’re told about it less than 24 hours in advance.
From personal experience, it’s not uncommon for Vietnamese carriers to cancel flights on their more frequent routes, and to do so relatively close to departure (but more than 24 hours in advance). My educated assumption would be that if they can fit everyone onto three flights say, rather than four, they’ll gladly cancel the fourth.
Sounds like you want compensation for not seeing some sites in Vietnam. Were you on a package tour from a tour company that included the flights or a package tour from the airline?
If it was a package tour, then you have grounds to ask for refunds for the missed activities.
If you were doing your own thing, then they owe you nothing, as every airline’s terms & conditions covers the fact that schedules can be changed without advance notice.
You can write a polite, factual letter requesting some form of compensation. They may offer something, like frequent flyer miles or a future credit. But they are under no legal obligation to provide compensation for your missed sightseeing.
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