HOW AIRLINES DODGE DELAY PAYOUTS
I HAVE the Civil Aviation Authority involved in a case where my flight was cancelled 40 minutes after the departure time, and I have been refused compensation on the grounds of ‘exceptional circumstances’.
The airline was unable to provide an alternative, so more than a day of holiday was lost. It shouldn’t be this hard to claim compensation.
S.G., by email. WE BOOKED a holiday to Spain, f lying from Blackpool, last April. The plane was due to leave at 3.45pm, and we saw it arrive. There was a wait of a couple of hours, then we were told that, due to a technical problem, we would have to board a plane at Leeds/Bradford Airport, where we would be taken by coach.
I thought compensation was due because of the five hours’ delay, but have been told it isn’t.
W. J., Lancashire. I HAD the same issue with an airline that tried to dodge paying out by blaming the delay on a technical fault.
After I submitted a complaint to them and later on to CAA, they yielded. Technical faults are not outside an airline’s control.
P. P., London. I CAN’T believe people are saying technical problems are not outside the airline’s control. Haven’t most of us ever had our car break down when it seemed to be working well? This happens on aircraft as well.
C. C., London. MAYBE airlines should pay compensation if flights are delayed but not what amounts to a massive financial penalty. I think £1,050 would be too much unless people h ave suffered a large financial loss as a result.
E. M., Essex. WE’VE been chasing a payout for three years after a 23-hour delay for a flight to the UK from Malta. I badgered the airline after the EU ruling, but have been told a fault of a ‘technical nature’ is to blame.
A.W., Lincolnshire.