Airlines refuse to pay £50m in flight delay compensation to holidaymakers

Thousands of holidaymakers are still awaiting more than £50m in compensation for delayed flights. This comes as a coalition of more than four airlines including Ryanair and Flybe refuse to pay out despite losing a Supreme Court legal battle.

In October of last year, an application made by Thomson and Jet2 to appeal two rulings which made airlines liable to compensate passengers delayed by aircraft technical problems was refused by judges. Prior to this, airlines had argued that unforeseen technical defects are simply out of their control and should come under the EU’s ‘extraordinary circumstances’ definition, which would exempt airlines from paying compensation.

Many airlines including Thomson are now beginning to process thousands of claims, dating back 6 years’, which are worth an average of around £380 each. However, airline Jet2 has been joined by at least 3 other airlines who are continuing to put claims on hold until a long-running case against Italian airline Alitalia is finally resolved in European Courts. This delay is due to the hope that this particular case will help clarify the definition of ‘extraordinary circumstances’.

 This current term is argued to be rather ambiguous as it includes technical faults as well as issues involving extreme weather and security alerts. It has been estimated that these delays are worth between £50m and £100m in claims. Jet2 has set aside £17m in order to eventually settle and future claim pay outs.

As a result many have argued that the delay is disappointing as airlines have got “all the clarification they need on what is an ‘exceptional circumstance’.” In addition to this, the industry’s regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority are examining whether it should take action against these airlines.

At MTA Solicitors, we can help you claim compensation for a cancelled or a delayed flight. At MTA Solicitors we have experts in travel compensation who can help put things in motion for you. Know your rights and get refunded! We work on a No Win No Fee basis for flight compensation claims. To find out more about flight delays and cancellation compensation simply click here. If you would like to speak to one of our expert advisors simply call us on 0208 313 7804.