Passengers miss out on £115m compensation
July 3, 2008Up to 1,000 people are missing out on compensation for flight cancellations every day, a new report has suggested.
EUClaim says that the UK's average flight cancellation rate of 1.2 per cent means some £115 million is up for grabs each year - just a fraction of which is currently being requested.
The Dutch company specialises in helping airline passengers claim a £430 entitlement under the little-known EC regulation 261/2004, which came into effect in 2005.
That ruling guarantees financial recompense for flight cancellations, severe delays and forced downgrades - but according to the new study few travellers are filing claims.
"It is virtually impossible for passengers to object to airline statements about technical circumstances," EUclaim chief executive officer Hendrik Noorderhaven noted. "As a result the airlines have been able to effectively hide behind the claim of extraordinary circumstance - until now."
EU law presently exempts airlines from issuing compensation when flights suffer last-minute cancellations caused by unforeseeable technical events.
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