Landmark ruling means airlines must pay flight delay compensation for delays caused by passengers:
A case against Thomas Cook at Birmingham County Court confirmed flight delay compensation must be paid for flight delays caused by another passenger.
In this matter another passenger accidentally damaged an emergency door handle. Thomas Cook had to pay €1,068 (£827) to Maria Edwards and her family after another passenger accidentally damaged an emergency door handle on the plane, resulting in a nine-hour delay to the UK from Tunisia.
The ruling could see thousands of holidaymakers claim compensation if they arrive at their destination more than three hours late due to disruption caused by another passenger.
Airlines previously insisted that the EU regulation relating to delays did not apply under such circumstances. Our legal team can help with your claim, contact us today on a no win no fee basis.
Mrs Edwards said: “We were initially told by Thomas Cook that there would be a one and a half hour delay to our flight, but when we actually boarded we had been waiting more than nine hours….. Each passenger was allowed a €5 (£3.90) voucher to purchase food and drink, but the choice was so limited in the airport shop, that it hardly made a difference……My partner and I were travelling with two small children and for anyone who has travelled with young kids before, you can imagine how difficult the whole ordeal was.”
They were then told the reason the flight was delayed due to a passenger on a previous flight – 24 hours earlier – accidentally breaking the emergency door handle. There was a further delay because when the maintenance crew attempted to fix it, they accidentally deployed the emergency slide.
The Court has now ruled that airlines have to take a level of responsibly for passenger actions. The passenger who caused this delay was in his ‘normal use of the aircraft’,
EU Regulation 261/2004 was introduced in 2005, initially to guarantee passengers compensation for flight cancellations or if they were denied boarding, for example because the airline had overbooked the flight.
If you have been delayed contact us to reclaim your flight delay compensation.
