Compensation hopes for delayed passengers

Compensation hopes for delayed passengers
By admin


Passengers affected by flight delays in EU countries could now be eligible for compensation under new legislation, as a British court ruled in favour of a retired teacher who was kept waiting.

Introduced in October, the European ruling allows people delayed by more than three hours in EU countries to claim up to 600 euro ($782) if the delay is the fault of the airline. Although, in the event of bad weather, strikes or other events outside the airline's control, payouts can be denied.

On Monday, Jeff Halsall became one of the first travellers in the UK to win such a claim as he was awarded 800 euro ($1,043) after he sued Thomas Cook for the value of his airfare when he and his wife were subjected to a 22 hour delay to a flight from Tenerife to the East Midlands in 2009.

The ruling could open the floodgates for thousands of similar claims from passengers that have experienced flight delays of more than three hours.

Claims dating back as far as 2005 could be considered under the legislation.

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