European Consumer Centres Network TOURISM IN SLOVENIA

European Consumer Centres Network
TOURISM IN SLOVENIA
This brochure will provide you with information on travelling by plane
in and to Slovenia. You will find practical advice and important legal
information covering the different topics. We have tried to include all
the relevant information concerning travel to Slovenia and your stay in
Slovenia; however the information provided is not fully detailed on all
points and should be viewed as a guide not as a verbatim statement of
the law.
Travelling by plane
-
New regulations from the European commission, and the Montreal Convention,
have strengthened air passengers’ rights. Here you will find the main information
that you need if you decide to travel by plane to Slovenia.
Before departure
Arrival at the airport

By car: From Ljubljana take the Motorway E61; follow directions to Brnik, which
are clearly signposted. The airport is 26 km North of Ljubljana Centre. You also
have the possibility of rent-a-car services. For more information check the
Ljubljana Airport website: http://www.lju-airport.si/eng.

By bus: There are frequent bus connections between Ljubljana Airport and the
City of Ljubljana and Kranj. You can check the schedules on the Ljubljana Airport
website: http://www.lju-airport.si/eng/.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to take a train to the Ljubljana airport.

The Slovenian airline company Adria Airways organizes passenger transport to
Ljubljana Airport and back from Zagreb, Croatia. Transportation must be
reserved at least 24 hours in advance. All information is available at their
website.
At the airport

You must check-in at the latest half an hour before scheduled departure at the
Ljubljana Airport. However, you should check in for your flight early enough to
fulfill all the airport formalities. In general, the deadline for flight check-in is one
half to one hour before departure. Precise requirements for individual carriers are
usually given in the timetable. On international flights, passengers are usually
required to check in two hours before their flight, and on domestic flights one
hour before departure. The required time for check-in depends on the
requirements of the individual airport, the airline and the destination.

Baggage is limited in quantity, weight and size in accordance with rules of
individual airline companies. In general, passengers are allowed to take one
piece of hand baggage, which must be small enough to fit in the overhead
compartment. The rest of the baggage travels in the cargo hold. Usually the
weight of baggage allowed to go in the cargo is written on the flight ticket. The
airline company might charge you extra when your baggage exceeds the
limitations in quantity, weight and size.

Baggage must be clearly marked with your name and address.

You are allowed to carry on board free of charge certain personal items, such as
laptops, coats, umbrellas, crutches, cameras etc. There might be some
restrictions regarding personal baggage.

If you travel with Adria Airways, you can find information on their restrictions
and limitations regarding baggage on their website.
If you realise you have to change or cancel your flight:
-
Is there any reason why you will not be able to embark on the scheduled flight
which you reserved, and for which you have already paid? Inform the airline
company or the travel agency as soon as possible. If you make your request
sufficiently early, you may even be able to avoid cancellation costs.
-
If you only wish to postpone your journey and use your ticket later, you may be
able to do so as long as it is still valid; but you may have to pay an
administration fee to change your booking.
-
According to Slovenian legislation, you can cancel your flight at the latest 24
hours before a local flight and 48 hours before an international flight and still
receive reimbursement. The airline company can withhold up to 10% of the price
paid and up to 5% in cases of higher force (e.g. illness of the consumer).
-
If you travel with the Slovenian airline company Adria Airways you may return
your ticket for a refund at the latest 36 months after the date of issue. You will
have to pay an administrative fee though. Please note that promotional tickets
etc. may not be refundable. Refer to the general terms and conditions of Adria
Airways, or contact them.
-
Important! If you plan to travel on board a non regular flight (a “charter”) and
you need to cancel your journey, your ticket may not be refundable and you
might not be able to obtain any reimbursement – unless you signed a
cancellation insurance, which covers you in certain cases (illness, notably).
-
Nevertheless, if you book your flight via travel agency and you cancel it within a
certain time in advance of your travel date (this varies, depending on the travel
agencies’ conditions), it will sometimes be possible for you to obtain a partial
refund. You should refer to, and compare, the general terms and conditions of
different agencies.
If you wish to give your ticket to another person:
-
The airline company can only refuse transfer of a plane ticket if it provides
justifiable reasons.
-
You can be asked to pay additional costs for the transfer.
-
If the ticket was reserved via a travel agency, a transfer may also be possible except if the agency excluded this possibility in its general terms and conditions,
or if the date of departure is too close.
At the time of departure
-
The airline company has an obligation to comply with the published schedules.
However, in certain circumstances their liability can be limited; e.g. if the
customer or a third party is at fault.
In the case of a delay:
-
if the departure is from within the European Union (EU) or
-
if the departure is from a third country outside the EU to an airport within the
EU, and the flight is made by a European company
 You have the right to immediate assistance on the part of the airline company,
provided that delay is of:
- 2 hours or more for flights up to 1500 km
- 3 hours or more for the flights of more than 1500 km inside the EU, and those
between 1500 km and 3500 km outside the EU
- 4 hours or more for all the flights of more than 3500 km outside the EU
 This assistance consists of supplying food and drinks in a sufficient quantity, taking
into account the delay; as well as paying for the means of communication so that you
can inform your relatives or any other person of the delay (telephone, e-mail, and fax).
If the delay is of one or several nights, you must be offered the nights in a hotel and the
transfer from the airport to the hotel.
 In any case, when the delay is announced to be more than 5 hours, the company has
to offer you a choice between:
-
a full refund of your plane ticket for the one or any parts of the journey which
you can no longer use, and for the one or any parts of the journeys already
made but which you could no longer use, based on the initial flight plan (the
refund has to be made within 7 days);
-
a return flight to your point of departure.
In the case of a cancellation:
The airline company has to supply you with the same level of assistance that they have
to supply in the case of a delay of more than 5 hours. In addition with the choices
offered in the delay of more than 5 hours, they have to give you the additional choice of
re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity or at a later date – in
accordance with your convenience (subject to availability of seats).
 Furthermore, you have the right to claim compensation of:
- 250 € for all the flights of less than 1500 km,
- 400 € for flights between 1500 and 3500 km within the EU,
- 600 € for all other flights
 If another flight is offered to you, and if the time of your arrival is not later than the
time of arrival of the original reserved flight, this compensation can be decreased to the
level of 50 %.
 Please Note! You can not ask for this compensation if you were warned of the
cancellation of the flight:
-
At least 2 weeks before date of the flight you booked; or,
-
between 2 weeks, and less than 7 days before, if an offer of rerouting was made
to you for the same date: but, with a departure schedule allowing you to leave
as soon as possible, and in any case, between 2 hours before the original
departure time; to arrive at your final destination at the latest 4 hours after the
original arrival time; or,
-
Within less than 7 days, if a re-routing was offered to you for the same date; but
with a departure schedule allowing you to leave not more than 1 hour prior to
the original departure time, and arriving at your final destination 2 hours at the
latest, after the original arrival time
 The airline company will not have to pay the compensation if the cancellation is due
to a case of higher force (extraordinary circumstances that could not have been
avoided).
 The compensation can be made in cash, by credit transfer or cheque. A voucher
refund can be made only with your written agreement.
Damages
-
In case of delay, if you suffer additional damages, articles 17, 19 and 22 of the
Montreal Convention of June 28th 2004 allow a right to compensation. The
compensation for damages suffered by passengers is though, limited to 4150
special drawing rights (SDR), about 4900 € (1SDR = 1,18 €).
-
In case of the loss or delay or of luggage or in case of damaged luggage, you
have to report it immediately to the baggage service at the airport and fill in a
complaint form. If the lost luggage is found, the company has an obligation to
deliver it to the address mentioned on the complaint form and should do this
without charging any fee. If because of the delay in delivery, you have extra
expenses (you were obliged to buy clothes, basic necessities, etc. …) and the
delay was more than 21 days, the carrier would have to pay compensation of up
to a maximum of 1000 SDR per passenger. However, you have to be able to
prove the damages. Therefore remember to keep receipts and invoices.
-
Your request for compensation in case of damaged luggage must be sent to the
airline at the latest 7 days from receiving the luggage and in the case of lost
luggage at the latest 21 days following the recovery of the luggage.
In the case of an “overbooking”:
 You reserved a plane ticket but when arriving at the check in desk, they told you
there were no more seats available on the plane? You have the right receive the
assistance, refund or re-routing, compensation (as listed above).
If you, as a foreign consumer, are feeling mistreated by a Slovenian professional, the European
Consumer Centres (ECCs) will be pleased to help you to find an amicable settlement of the
dispute. You can find further information and a complete list of all ECCs under:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/consumers/redress/ecc_network/index_en.htm
ECC Czech Republic (Czech/Slovak/English)
+420 22406-2046 or -2017
ECC France (French/English/German)
+49 7851/991 480 as well as 0820 200 999 for calls
from France for only 9 Cents per minute
ECC Germany (German/English/French)
+49 7851/991480 or +49 211/3809101 or +49 431
9719350
ECC Italy (Italian/German/English) +39/0471 98 09 39
ECC Netherlands (Dutch/English) +31/070 315 63 33
ECC Poland (Polish/English) +48/0022 05 56 01 14
ECC Portugal (Portuguese/English) +351/21 356 47 50
ECC Slovenia (Slovenian/English) +386/ 1 432 30 35
ECC Spain (Spanish/English) +34/91 82 24 555
ECC France (French/English/German)
+49 7851/991 480 as well as 0820 200 999 for calls
from France for only 9 Cents per minute
ECC Germany (German/English/French)
+49 7851/991480 or +49 211/3809101 or +49 431
9719350