Which? response to air traffic control strikes
Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
"Airlines are fully aware that these strikes have the potential to cause huge disruption to travellers, and so can have no reason not to be fully prepared to fulfil their legal obligations to their customers should cancellations and severe delays occur. This means offering travellers the opportunity to be refunded or rerouted at the earliest opportunity - even if that means buying passengers a seat on a flight operated by a rival carrier. They must also provide passengers with free refreshments or accommodation if appropriate to the length of the delay.
"Some airlines' track records on customer service has been woefully lacking, as we saw during the summer of travel chaos last year. A repeat of last year's failings cannot be allowed to happen again, so the aviation regulator must monitor this situation closely and be ready to take action against any airline that fails to meet its legal obligations.
"The DfT recently signalled its support for fining powers for the CAA, and this new potential wave of disruption only underlines that these powers cannot come soon enough. The Prime Minister must now show he is on the side of consumers and prioritise giving the CAA the teeth it needs to hold airlines to account, by setting out legislation for new enforcement powers in the King's Speech later this year."
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
- Strikes by Air Traffic Control are considered an 'extraordinary circumstance', meaning passengers are unlikely to be entitled to compensation. You can find more information on flight compensation rights during extraordinary circumstances here, and find Which?'s free compensation claim tool here.
- Travellers should ensure they have travel insurance from the time of booking, and should check their policy carefully to ensure it covers for the eventualities they would expect. Find Which? advice on what to look for in a travel insurance policy here: https://www.which.co.uk/
- The DfT recently responded to its aviation consumer policy reform consultation, and set out its support to give fining powers for the CAA, something Which? has led the campaign for. Find the DfT's response here, and more information on Which?'s campaign below.
Which? campaign to Transform Travel
- Which? is currently campaigning to Transform Travel, and at the time of writing, over 43,000 people have signed the consumer champion’s petition to the Secretary of State for Transport demanding urgent action. Please find a link to view it here.
More than 1,100 Which? Travel campaign supporters have also submitted evidence of their mistreatment by airlines to the independent review of the CAA.
The consumer champion is calling for:
Enforcement – The CAA should be doing more by holding airlines to account proactively. It also needs direct powers to monitor and fine airlines when they flout the rules.
Resolution – We need a dispute resolution system that is mandatory for all airlines flying to and from the UK so travellers don’t have to go to the small claims court to enforce their rights.
Compensation – We need to protect passengers’ rights to redress when airlines are at fault for delays and cancellations. Proposals to slash pay-outs for domestic flights, which would replace current protections under EU law EC261, must be dropped.