Consumer group calls for automatic compensation for air passengers
Consumer group Which? has said airlines should automatically compensate passengers affected by cancellations and delays, adding current rules for flight compensation is ‘out of step with other markets’.
The call follows complaints by British Airways passengers caught affected by the disruption caused by the bank holiday weekend IT outage.
The consumer association’s managing director of home product and services Alex Neill has written to BA CEO Alex Cruz to say the airline should do more than offer the ‘bare minimum’ level of compensation to those affected.
The letter said: "The rules around airline compensation is out of step with other markets, like energy and water, where compensation is automatically awarded to customers for severe disruption to, or complete absence of, service.
"Given the scale of the problem BA has experienced, we strongly believe it is only right that you do more than the legal minimum.
"By simplifying the compensation process, you have an opportunity to minimise the additional stress and inconvenience you cause your customers and ensure they are not pushed into the arms of claims management companies, who will take a large part of the money they are owed.
"British Airways can, and should, seek to automatically issue statutory compensation to all affected passengers.
"This would reduce the burden on passengers and mean they get back what they are legally entitled to quicker. It would also allow you to focus on dealing with the individual additional expenses incurred by affected passengers on a case-by-case basis.
"Disruptions like last weekend only highlight that it is time for all airlines to introduce measures so that, where possible, passengers are compensated automatically for delays and cancellations."
BA responded by saying it has set up a link on its website home page to enable customers to submit their claims as quickly and conveniently as possible.
"We have no desire to be obstructive in any way and have put additional resources into our call centres to process claims as speedily as possible," the airline said.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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