When traveling by plane, citizens of Serbia already have rights granted by EU regulations. Thanks to the EU regulation on the protection of passengers’ rights, passengers can receive compensation in case of flight cancellation, delay or denied boarding.
It applies to all passengers departing or arriving in the countries of the European Union, Iceland, Norway (or Switzerland), regardless of whether the airline is from the EU or another country.
Passengers also exercise their rights if the flight to the EU arrives outside the EU and if your flight departs from the EU to a country outside the EU, regardless of whether the airline is from the EU or another country.
Delayed flight: what is the compensation?
The delay refers to the arrival, not the departure of the plane. So, you should know that your flight is delayed if you arrive at your destination at least 3 hours later than the originally scheduled time and then you are entitled to compensation.
*Delay compensation depends on the flight distance:
- €250 for flights up to 1500 km,
- €400 for flights between 1500 and 3500 km.
*You can calculate the potential compensation amount thanks to the “flight calculator” application.
How to apply for reimbursement?
If you feel that your rights have not been respected, there are several avenues of redress that you can use. However, you should always send a complaint to the airline first. You can find more information on how to apply and exercise your rights at this link.
If your flight is delayed by several hours, you are entitled to free drinks and meals at the departure airport, provided by your carrier, as well as two phone calls, two faxes or two e-mails.
The rights of passengers in air transport and roaming are also valid outside the holiday season.
Citizens of Serbia, in addition to benefiting from passenger rights established in the EU, and as the EU and the Western Balkans are getting closer, citizens also benefit from the reduction of roaming costs in the region. Thirty-eight telecommunications operators from the EU and the Western Balkans agreed to make data roaming more accessible to citizens and businesses in both regions. With this agreement, the operators committed to significantly reduce the gap between roaming and domestic fees for the use of data transmission in both directions between the EU and the Western Balkans.
The maximum retail price levels for one gigabyte will decrease from October 2023 to 2028 as follows:
€18 from October 1, 2023.
€14 from 2026 and
€9 from 2028.
Both roaming rights and passenger rights are valuable examples of how Serbian citizens are already enjoying the benefits of the European integration process, without yet becoming EU citizens.
