Passengers use Facebook in battle with airlines
Delayed air passengers have started uniting via social media to claim compensation from airlines.
Some 101 passengers who formed the Facebook group VS01 27/10/12 won a £47,000 payout from Virgin in July for a 26 hour delay to their flight from Florida.
Now solicitors Bott & Co, which handles delay compensation claims, said more groups of passengers are approaching them to make joint compensation claims.
Bott & Co have issued court proceedings on behalf of 33 passengers who created the Facebook group Thomas Cook TCX325 Epic Fail following a delayed flight from Cancun to Manchester.
Other groups have formed offline, said the firm. Husband and wife Trevor and Jean Jackson from Bolton collected email addresses from fellow passengers during a 24-hour delay back to Manchester from Skiathos with Monarch and are currently co-ordinating the group’s claim.
EU261 entitles passengers to up to €600 compensation per person for delays over three hours or flight cancellations, provided the delay is not due to an ‘extraordinary circumstance’.
Lawyer David Bott said "We’ve heard stories of people setting up a Facebook group whilst they’re waiting in the airport for their delayed flight."
He said there were ‘huge benefits’ for passengers coming together and acting as a group.
"Firstly, they can share information and resources which can become invaluable if there is a dispute over a sequence of events with the airline.
"Secondly, if your group is large enough, there is then the possibility for a law firm to progress your case through the courts as a fast track or multi track case (where the claim is worth over £10,000 or £25,000 respectively).
"The cost structure for processing fast and multi track claims is different to small claims (with a value under £10,000). Proceeding with a fast track or multi track claim puts consumers in a stronger position to negotiate fees with the law firm representing them."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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