Lots of people were handing out forms... just not from the airline
When Harriet Dennys flew to Palma de Majorca last month with her husband Rory, three-year-old daughter Tabitha and mother-in-law Minnie, she was understandably frustrated that the EasyJet flight landed nearly three and a half hours late.
Heavily pregnant with her second child and with a tired toddler in tow, she was taken aback to be approached by agents in the baggage hall proffering forms for her to claim compensation.
Harriet, a reporter for the Mail on Sunday, says: ‘There were lots of people handing out forms. They were not from the airline. One of the forms was from a firm based in Germany.’ Harriet, 39, refused their assistance and later carried out an internet search about compensation for delays.
She says: ‘A whole raft of claims firms appeared high in the search listings, all of them charging significant amounts. One said the fee was 25% of the compensation plus VAT, plus a per person fee.’ She then discovered that under European Union rule EU261 she and her family were entitled to €250 each – a total of €1,000 – with no fees charged. She says: ‘This firm would have taken more than €400 as its cut.’ Harriet went on to the easyJet website and found out how to claim.
She says: ‘I completed an online form in five minutes and the airline quickly confirmed we were eligible for €1,000, to be paid within seven to 14 days.
‘My only complaint is that EasyJet did not inform us about this on the plane. Many people will have been taken in by the claims agents. Others probably do not even know they are due compensation.’
A spokeswoman for the airline says: ‘EasyJet takes its EU261 responsibilities extremely seriously, including providing advice on how to claim by issuing disruption leaflets at the airport and information through our flight tracker app. We always pay compensation when it is due and continue to make it easier and quicker for customers to claim.
‘Customers can apply for compensation using a simple web form easily found on our website and we pay tens of millions in compensation and welfare payments each year.’
She added: ‘It is concerning to hear that customers are being approached by claims agencies in the airport. We recommend customers apply directly to us so they don’t lose a proportion of their compensation to fees.’
A spokesman for Palma Airport says: ‘The business of the airport is regulated and this practice is forbidden. When airport staff detect these people, they are taken out of the restricted area.’