flyDubai cancelled flight, refusing to respect EU261 obligations
Hi,
My flight from LJU to DBX on 1st July was cancelled (they cancelled yesterday, 9 days before departure), and they moved the flight to the next day. That's not acceptable to me, I need to be in DBX on the same day or 1 day earlier.
I called their (useless) customer support and wrote an email, demanding they rebook me to an Emirates flight (partner airline) from VCE to DBX, departing a day before.
They came back to me with a general email, offering only refund or free change of flight, but none of the options depart on the same day or day before of my original booking. They don't have any flights on these dates from LJU to DBX.
They admitted in the email that the cancellation was due to "operational reasons".
As far as I know:
- They're obliged to get me to DBX with "comparable transport conditions, at the earliest opportunity."
- Pay compensation of 600€ (or 300€ if I arrive within 4 hours of original booking)
My flight is supposed to be in 1 week.
If they keep refusing, can/should I:
- Book the Emirates ticket and shuttle transfer to VCE with my own money and demand reimbursement?
- Should I book one way or return in case they then cancel my return flight because of "no show" on outbound leg?
- How likely am I to win this case if they refuse to meet their legal obligations and keep insisting I can only get a refund or flight change to their own flights that depart too late or too early for me?
Thank you in advance for all the advice!