UK Govt Takes Action To Strengthen Airline Passenger Rights

Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary on the United Kingdom (UK) on Monday said that airline customers can now more easily seek justice from unfair practices after he announced new proposals today 31st Jan 2022.

Some of the proposals being consulted on have been made possible thanks to the UK’s departure from the EU and our newfound ability to amend rules set under EU regulations.

These include considering the creation of a fairer compensation model for when domestic UK flights are delayed.

Based on the current compensation model used by rail and ferry customers, this will see a significant shift away from the current ‘set rate’ model.

Passengers would instead be able to claim compensation based on the length of the flight delay and linked to cost of travel rather than having to meet a certain threshold – which is currently a 3-hour delay.

The government is also considering mandating all airlines to be part of the aviation Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme, which would give consumers a route for escalating certain complaints that cannot be settled between the consumer and airline without needing to go to court.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

People deserve a service that puts passengers first when things go wrong, so today I’ve launched proposals that aim to bolster airline consumer protections and rights.

We’re making the most of our Brexit dividend with our new freedoms outside of the EU and this review will help build a trustworthy, reputable sector.

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In the current setup, there are 2 ADR providers in the UK and airlines can join voluntarily.

Under the new proposals, all airlines would have to join the scheme, giving customers access to this dispute route regardless of who they fly with. This could help people who are struggling to get refunds when they are entitled to them.

The proposals also aim to strengthen the UK regulator’s powers to further protect both consumers’ and airlines’ interests. As the UK’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) works to ensure consumers are protected and treated fairly.

Under the new proposals, they would have increased powers to enforce consumer protection law, for example, and would be able to fine airlines directly for breaches where appropriate.