Air Passenger Rights

Provide a written request to the operating airline

In cases when an air travel passengers believe, that they had their rights (according to the Regulation (EC) No 261/2004) infringed, they have to submit a written complaint / request to the operating airline or to the airline which was supposed to operate a flight. When submitting a complaint / request to the airline, it is recommended to use the airlines provided forms or methods of submitting a complaint / request. Alternatively, a complaint / request can be written without using specialized forms, as long as it has the following information noted:

• passenger name and surname;
• booking code or ticket number;
• flight number and date;
• briefly describe the details of the incident (what happened, when and where it happened, what is the outcome of said incident);
• type of infringement according to the Regulation (EC) No 261/2004;         
• what is requested from the airline (i.e. refund of unused tickets, compensation according to the Regulation (EC) 261/2004, etc.);
• documents which justify the request for the airline (i.e. copies of notifications from airlines; or in cases when claiming a refund for additional expenses due to flight irregularities, copies of receipts for transportation, accomodation, meals, telecommunications) 

The airline has to provide an answer to the complaint / request in 2 months from receiving the complaint / request. 

 Submit a complaint to the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA) when an agreement with the operating airline was not reached

• Fill out the recommended LTSA complaint form;
• Additionally add a copy of the flight booking / reservation or a copy of the boarding pass;
• Add a copy of correspondence with the airline, or a copy of initial complaint sent to airline (to which a response was not received for 2 months or more);
• Power of attorney (If you are not a passenger and you are lodging a complaint on behalf of other passengers);
• Receipts or other proof of expense (in case of filing a complaint regarding additional expenses).

When submitting a complaint without using a recommended form, please note the following:

• names, surnames, phone numbers, emails, addresses of all passengers;
• information about the flight / flights: name of operating airline, flight number / numbers, flight date, booking code or ticket number, airport of departure and arrival (when the trip included connecting flights - list all connecting airports as well), planned departure and arrival times, and actual departure and arrival times;
• a clear explanation of the incident, while noting which passenger rights may have been infringed;
• speficy whether the operating airline was contacted, and if so - when the airline was contacted, whether a response was received;
• indicate what is being requested of the airline (for example - claiming for a compensation due to a delayed / cancelled flight; refund of additional expenses; etc.);
• add a list of attached documents.

Send the filled out and signed complaint / request (only a pen-to-paper or an electronic qualified signature is accepted) alongside with other mandatory documents to LTSA via email [email protected] or to Švitrigailos g. 42, Vilnius, Lithuania.

It's preferred that said complaints / requests are provided to LTSA in either English or Lithuanian.

The handling of complaints / requests is carried out at no charge.

Transfer of complaints and requests

If a complaint / request is filed due to disruptions of flights departing not from airports of the Republic of Lithuania, but from airports of other EU states or the Republic of Iceland, the Kingdom of Norway, the Swiss Confederation, the complaint / request may be transfered to the responsible states' national enforcement body if all the necessary documents are provided.

Complaint handling process

• Upon receiving a complaint / request, the LTSA will contact the operating airline with an inquiry related to the received complaint / request.
• The operating airline has a set deadline where they have to provide an answer within 30 working days. In cases when a response is not received upon the deadline, it may be extended by additional 10 working days.
• After investigating the information and documents provided by the operating airline, a decision is made regarding the complaint / request, and the passenger is informed about said decision.

Duration of complaint investigation

Following the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration's director's order, made on the 22^nd January 2021 number 2BE-27 „Dėl Skundų ir prašymų dėl oro transporto keleivių teisių galimo pažeidimo nagrinėjimo tvarkos aprašo patvirtinimo“, complaint investigation may take up to 4 months. In complicated cases, where a decision is not reached by the 4^th month, the deadline may be extended by additional 2 months.

 Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)

In 2016 the European Commision presented a centralized electronic platform allowing the users to easily start an out-of-court dispute resolution procedure online: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/odr.

Flights which were a part of an organized tourist trip

In cases where a disrupted flight was part of an organized tourist trip, which was purchased from a trip organizer registered in the Republic of Lithuania, complaint filing procedure is as follows:

• Send a written complaint / request to the operating airline, and send a copy of said complaint to the trip organizer.
• If in the period of 2 months no response was received from either parties, or if the received answer is disagreeable, and it still seems like the passenger rights were infringed, a complaint can be filed to one of the following institutions: 
  • To the LTSA, which will investigate the complaint/request and provide an outcome of investigation, or
  • To the State Consumer Rights Protection Authority (SCRPA), which will investigate the dispute out-of-court and will reach a mandatory decision.

A complaint to the SCRPA can be filed via Consumer rights information system (VTIS) or filling-out a complaint form and, with additional documentation added, sending it to Vilniaus g. 25, 01402 Vilnius (you can find the contacts of the other departments here , email [email protected] or fax (8 5) 279 1466).

Have additional questions regarding complaints or requests? Want to know more about passenger rights?

Contact the LTSA by phone (8 5) 278 56 01 or send us an email [email protected] .

More information can be found on Your Europe portal.

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