Passengers may get payouts for domestic flights over hour late
MORE PASSENGERS will receive compensation for delayed domestic flights under plans announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
The Cabinet Minister is proposing to make travellers entitled to payouts for flights within the UK which arrive at their destination more than one hour late.
The UK currently uses the European Union’s EU261 rule, which means passengers on flights shorter than 932 miles can claim £220 for delays of more than three hours, but nothing for shorter hold-ups.
As a result of having new powers due to Brexit, the Government is considering replacing this system with a model similar to the one used by rail and ferry operators, which links compensation amounts to the cost of travel.
Mr Shapps said: “People deserve a service that puts passengers first when things go wrong,
so today I’ve launched proposals which aim to bolster airline consumer protections and rights.”
Under the Department for Transport’s (DfT) plan, which is under consultation, passengers would be entitled to a 25 per cent refund of their ticket price for a delay of more than one hour but less than two hours.
For a delay of more than two hours but less than three hours, there would be a 50 per cent reimbursement, and a ticket would be refunded in full for a delay of more than three hours.
The DfT did not specify which categories delays of exactly two and three hours would fall into.
Airlines avoid paying compensation for disruption caused by events outside their control, such as extreme weather, security alerts and restricted air traffic control operations.
Other proposals include making it mandatory for airlines operating in the UK to sign up to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) scheme, which could help more people receive the compensation they are entitled to.
ADR programmes have helped thousands of passengers escalate complaints without going to court, but membership by carriers is voluntary.