UK flight compensation plan will slash average payouts
The government’s plan to overhaul the air passenger compensation scheme has been described as a step backwards for consumers, leading to “small amounts of compensation that often won’t be worth claiming”.
Earlier this week the Department for Transport (DfT) announced it is consulting on proposals to overhaul the air passengers’ rights rules – but only for flights within the UK.
The move, described by the government as “another Brexit win”, will lead to a two-tier system, with the UK scheme operating alongside the original EC 261 rules that were adopted before Britain left the EU, and still apply to international flights in and out of UK airports. The DfT is limited in its ability to change rules around foreign flights because of the international conventions on air travel.
Currently, someone on an internal flight from Edinburgh to London is entitled to claim £220 once their flight has been delayed three hours, unless the cause was extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather. The compensation payable is fixed and is not linked to the price paid by the passenger.
Long-haul travellers on a flight from Japan to the UK are entitled to £520 if delayed four hours or more, alongside other beneficial terms such as rerouting had the flight been cancelled.
The DfT is now proposing a system akin to the train delay compensation scheme for internal flights. On the face of it, passengers could be better off as partial refunds would start at only one hour’s delay. However, the sum paid is related to the fare.
The proposed scale is:
One hour to 1hr 59min: 25% of the ticket price.
Two hours to 2hr 59min: 50% of the ticket price.
Three hours and above: a full ticket refund.
The change would mean a passenger who had paid £50 for a domestic flight
Read more on theguardian.com
