A BRITISH couple who waited 26 hours for a delayed flight from Mallorca have won a landmark case against one of Britain’s largest airlines.
Kim Brittain, 61, and his wife Sue, 55, sued Monarch after 200 tourists were stranded at Palma de Mallorca Airport.
Their victory is one of the first of its kind in the British courts and could open the floodgates for thousands of other cases.
It comes after the European Court of Justice declared that airlines must pay compensation for delays caused by their own failures, such as technical faults and staff problems.
A judge at Worcester County Court awarded them their full compensation claim of €504, plus legal costs.
The ruling follows a judgement last October in which the European courts found passengers should be entitled to compensation of up to €560, plus expenses, for delays longer than three hours.
How is this a ‘good thing’?
Russ: Well, it’s better than a poke in the eye with a greasy stick, which is what airlines usually hand out. It’s about time the saying that “the customer is always right” became fact.
And who pays this? In the end the passengers. i.e. higher fares.
I take your point, stefanjo.
I can’t help but feel however that the airlines will simply account for such litigation threats via yet higher prices.
I for one am not a great fan of the ‘sue for everything’ culture either.
“It comes after the European Court of Justice declared that airlines must pay compensation for delays caused by their own failures, such as technical faults and staff problems.”
Ok,so the airline has broken the law, and some people think there should be no punishment.
So I wonder just how long a passenger should have to wait around in an airport in order to claim compensation. Two days? Two weeks?
Some suggestions please.
Good to see people fighting back at the terrible way the airlines treat their customers when there are issues.
If they treated them correctly in the first place by keeping them informed, placing them in a position where they could get food and non-alcoholic drinks as and when needed instead of just dumping them to fend for themselves in a location they do not know and in a position at the end of their holiday where they might well have no money left people might be more understanding.
What about when you make a mistake when you enter your details for a flight or holiday – have you looked at what the airlines charge their customers to change a simple spelling mistake?
The boot in now on the other foot and good on those who use it.