Another situation that’s always talked about this time of year, and nothing ever happens, just talk and complaints.
DECO wants to hear your problems of receiving the air mobility allowance contact them through their website https://deco.pt/
The Portuguese Consumer Protection Association (DECO) today took a stance on the issue of the social mobility allowance for Madeirans for trips to the Mainland and the Azores, believing that consumers residing in the archipelago “continue to be disadvantaged in accessing reimbursement” , therefore defending “its attribution at the time of purchasing the airline ticket”.
In a press release from DECO’s regional delegation, they state that this could eliminate “the constraints that consumers have faced and which prevent them from receiving the mobility subsidy”, denounces Alexandra Caldeira.
And she notes that “in 2022, a transitional legal regime was in force which, ending on December 31 of that year, would allow the automatic granting of the mobility allowance”, but “last year (2023), DECO expressed his concern to the competent entities, the Regional Government of Madeira, Parliamentary Groups and Representatives and Chief of Staff of the Secretary of State for Urban Mobility, for this fact, given that no legislative measures had yet been established to address the regime’s deficiencies and, thus, operationalising what is established in the Law”, explains his efforts.
However, “another year has passed without any response from the authorities and this situation continues to harm the rights of Madeiran consumers”, laments the person in charge. “Currently, CTT – Correios de Portugal informed consumers that, from February 1, 2024, the timetables would undergo changes in view of the increase in the number of payment operations for the social mobility allowance”.
In other words, “this means that, in practice, the time to request reimbursement of a consumer right has been reduced, making it almost incompatible with most consumers’ working hours. Another obstacle that consumers have to face to exercise a right that assists them and once again the problems of operationalization in granting the subsidy are borne by the consumer”, he denounces.
This “in addition to the obstacles that you often encounter with airlines”, she adds. “Such constraints would not have arisen if the regulations governing the operationalisation of the regime for applying the subsidy at the time of purchase had been regularised, relieving CTT of numerous refund requests, thus fully complying with the consumer’s right to access reimbursement of the subsidy. mobility”, she proposes.
DECO, guarantees, “remains attentive to this problem and will continue to defend the rights and legitimate interests of consumers” and even urges anyone who reads this news and “if they have been harmed by a situation like this”, to contact DECO Madeira .