Flight compensation to be reduced (by a lot).

[Harlequin]

Thanks, Brexit: Tories set to scrap yet more EU consumer protections (thelondoneconomic.com)

Flight compensation for stranded British travellers could soon be slashed, as the government weakens consumer protections after Brexit.

According to consumer watchdog Which?, passengers could see their refunds go from £220 to £57, saving airlines hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.

In the white noise of P&O and Ukraine, more rights are being cut.

 

[weringo]

Under previous rules you could claim £220 compensation for a 2 hour delay to a flight costing £20, which was highly disproportionate. The proposed new rules base the compensation on the value of the ticket price so that you are compensated proportionately.

All seems quite sensible?

 

[One More Solo]

Under previous rules you could claim £220 compensation for a 2 hour delay to a flight costing £20, which was highly disproportionate. The proposed new rules base the compensation on the value of the ticket price so that you are compensated proportionately.

All seems quite sensible?

Except that relies on the inconvenience being somehow proportionate to the cost of a ticket (which it isn't) and reducing the compensation will make it more palatable for airlines to screw travellers over and eat the compensation cost. I expect the compensation regime is a good deterrent for things like underbooked flights being cancelled.

 

[weringo]

Except that relies on the inconvenience being somehow proportionate to the cost of a ticket (which it isn't) and reducing the compensation will make it more palatable for airlines to screw travellers over and eat the compensation cost. I expect the compensation regime is a good deterrent for things like underbooked flights being cancelled.

If you want to be compensated based on your valued level of inconvenience you are free to purchase travel insurance which will pay out for delayed or cancelled flights. No other industry is required to pay 1100% compensation to its customers so why should airlines? Train companies are not required to make any similar payouts.

Airlines already have dozens of reasons not to delay or cancel flights. For example:
- the plane will likely be in the wrong place, meaning the cancellation of further flights elsewhere and more compensation due
- paying for staff to be put up in a hotel
- additional airport take-off / landing fees

Even after the reforms there will still be thousands of pounds due to customers for a delayed or cancelled flight

 

[mid_gen]

Oh won't someone think of the children corporations

What Great Britain needs is less consumers sponging off hard-working corporations

 

[One More Solo]

If you want to be compensated based on your valued level of inconvenience you are free to purchase travel insurance which will pay out for delayed or cancelled flights. No other industry is required to pay 1100% compensation to its customers so why should airlines? Train companies are not required to make any similar payouts.

Airlines already have dozens of reasons not to delay or cancel flights. For example:
- the plane will likely be in the wrong place, meaning the cancellation of further flights elsewhere and more compensation due
- paying for staff to be put up in a hotel
- additional airport take-off / landing fees

Even after the reforms there will still be thousands of pounds due to customers for a delayed or cancelled flight

There were existing protections in place prior to the implementation of the current EU regulations, but it was clearly felt they didn't deter the sort of behaviour the legislation is targeted at. Surely the fact compensation can't be claimed in "extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken" suggests that this is targeted at delays/cancellations which the airline has an element of control over?

 

[arknor]

Under previous rules you could claim £220 compensation for a 2 hour delay to a flight costing £20, which was highly disproportionate. The proposed new rules base the compensation on the value of the ticket price so that you are compensated proportionately.

All seems quite sensible?

what's wrong with that?

the only flight I had compensation for was from Geneva > Newcastle and sometimes it was as cheap as £30-50 although usually around 100+
I had a 3.5hour train ride from Zurich to Geneva, then waiting around the airport for about 4-5 hours before the flight finally came up as cancelled.

Easyjet staff left the terminal 5mins before the announcement obviously not wanting to deal with it....

it was around 9pm at night, there were no flight alternatives at that time to go by another airline, the last train back to zurich was about to leave so I jumped on it, another 3:30mins + 20minute bus ride wasted

On the train I had ping from the easyjet app saying I could book upto a 4star hotel that they would pay for, guess what the app says no hotels available... I could reschedule the flight but the next flight easyjet had that wasn't fully booked was a full week away...

so people are expecting to book a hotel around 10pm at night at their own expense... then claim it back from easyjet and get the money however many months later.....


you telling me £220 compensation is too much to ask? you act like everyone lives next to the airport they are forced to use and it's not a massive hassle if your flight is cancelled.


BTW it's not everytime a flight is cancelled it has to be directly the airlines fault and something they could have avoided.

if it's maintenance issue or bad weather you can not claim

 

[jpaul]

from below, I'd thought the proposed change was exclusive to domestic routes
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2022/0...on-for-severely-delayed-or-cancelled-flights/

 

[delta0]

Having been impact by flight issues outside the EU you would be lucky to get cash. More likely to get a measly voucher that you can only spend with them.

 

[Mr Badger]

what's wrong with that?

the only flight I had compensation for was from Geneva > Newcastle and sometimes it was as cheap as £30-50 although usually around 100+
I had a 3.5hour train ride from Zurich to Geneva, then waiting around the airport for about 4-5 hours before the flight finally came up as cancelled.

Easyjet staff left the terminal 5mins before the announcement obviously not wanting to deal with it....

it was around 9pm at night, there were no flight alternatives at that time to go by another airline, the last train back to zurich was about to leave so I jumped on it, another 3:30mins + 20minute bus ride wasted

On the train I had ping from the easyjet app saying I could book upto a 4star hotel that they would pay for, guess what the app says no hotels available... I could reschedule the flight but the next flight easyjet had that wasn't fully booked was a full week away...

so people are expecting to book a hotel around 10pm at night at their own expense... then claim it back from easyjet and get the money however many months later.....


you telling me £220 compensation is too much to ask? you act like everyone lives next to the airport they are forced to use and it's not a massive hassle if your flight is cancelled.


BTW it's not everytime a flight is cancelled it has to be directly the airlines fault and something they could have avoided.

if it's maintenance issue or bad weather you can not claim

OMG. I'm about to agree with an Arknor post!

My experience was a 23 hour delay which involved a lot of tedious hanging around the airport trying to get information and a chaotic overnight in a hotel, where we were roused early to rush back to the airport only to hang around until the new plane was available about 6 hours later. We completely lost the first day of a rather expensive holiday and the compensation (which the airline initially refused to pay, claiming that a mechanical problem with the plane was beyond their control) felt far from generous.

 

[arknor]

OMG. I'm about to agree with an Arknor post!

You should try it more often

 

[Puzzled]

Pah, you peasants and your airline tickets. Private jets is where its at #DishyRishi

 

[Haggisman]

If you want to be compensated based on your valued level of inconvenience you are free to purchase travel insurance which will pay out for delayed or cancelled flights.

Travel insurance won't pay out compensation to cover inconvenience, loss of time etc.

We were caught in the big BA outage a few years ago and lost a day of our week holiday - having to spend it in Slough rather than the cottage we'd booked in Croatia. Pretty sure our travel insurance wouldn't have actually paid for anything, since the airline paid for our extra night in the hotel and replacement flight, but the compensation at least meant we were able to keep our son entertained without being out of pocket and made up for the loss of a day's holiday.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Just fly Ryanair.

They always land of time because they don't have enough fuel not to

 

[Quartz]

Travel insurance won't pay out compensation to cover inconvenience, loss of time etc.

Perhaps you need to buy better insurance? When I was buying travel insurance for my eclipse trips to Indonesia and America I made it quite clear that I absolutely needed to be there on time and if that meant flying me the other way around the world they would have to do it. It had to be specially arranged and I paid more for that insurance, of course. But if your time is that valuable then you need to book a private jet: back when I worked at Gulfstream's depot in Luton it wasn't actually that expensive compared to a business class ticket if the jet was full. But if your time is that valuable, why are you travelling cheap?

But for travelling within the UK I generally take the train. It takes much longer, of course, but it's much less stressful.

 

[chrismscotland]

Its ridiculous - BA are already terrible for cancelling domestic flights at the drop of a hat if there are issues - now this will give them even more incentive to prioritise short haul flights to the EU over domestic flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen where there are issues.
Basically this is Tory policy to a tee - the rich get compensated and those on cheaper fares get screwed - try finding a hotel around Heathrow at 10PM for £40.

I used to Fly EDI-LHR and back every week and most of the time they were offering cash or vouchers to convince people to take another flight as the early ones were always overbooked - under these new rules they could basically do that and just give you a tiny amount of compensation - totally ruining your trip.

 

[Voltar]

Good for the environment, deter cheap tickets.

 

[Quartz]

I used to Fly EDI-LHR and back every week

I saw a video a while back that demonstrated that going from the centre of Edinburgh to the centre of London took about the same time by plane and by train thanks to the airport security checks and the time taken to get to and from the airports. The time difference is much greater from Aberdeen - the train often becomes a stopping train between Aberdeen and Edinburgh whereas it's just an extra 30 minutes' flight - but the whole rail experience is just so much nicer. Especially if you book well in advance and score a cheap first class ticket.

 

[Voltar]

I saw a video a while back that demonstrated that going from the centre of Edinburgh to the centre of London took about the same time by plane and by train thanks to the airport security checks and the time taken to get to and from the airports. The time difference is much greater from Aberdeen - the train often becomes a stopping train between Aberdeen and Edinburgh whereas it's just an extra 30 minutes' flight - but the whole rail experience is just so much nicer. Especially if you book well in advance and score a cheap first class ticket.

agreed

 

[mid_gen]

I saw a video a while back that demonstrated that going from the centre of Edinburgh to the centre of London took about the same time by plane and by train thanks to the airport security checks and the time taken to get to and from the airports. The time difference is much greater from Aberdeen - the train often becomes a stopping train between Aberdeen and Edinburgh whereas it's just an extra 30 minutes' flight - but the whole rail experience is just so much nicer. Especially if you book well in advance and score a cheap first class ticket.

I commuted West London to Newcastle for a while...it was pretty borderline whether flying or train was faster....and the prices were similar flying economy Vs 1st class on the train.

Train was immeasurably more relaxing though....can just get on it and have a kip. Plus it's an outrageously polluting option to fly!