Who legally owns compensation?

PigeonCake

I've just had a delayed flight due to overbooking & have been given a hotel for the night & a Visa Electron card with £504 GBP.

I assume this is BA's 'compensation' payment made up front. Wonderful...

But I'm on a business flight purchased by a client of the company I work for.

Who owns the compensation?

Can I keep it & inform no one because it is legally mine?

I was travelling outbound a day early anyway so there is no loss to the business to compensate for.

But taking this money feels a bit edgy.

I've informed my boss about the payment but wanted to know, legally, who does this belong to?

PigeonCake

I guess the answer to this might depend on 'what' the compensation supposed to be compensating for...and who...

The Visa card has my name on it because the flight ticket had my name on it...

richardw

If your delay doesn't affect your time records to your employer and there is nil cost to the business, then it may be yours.

PigeonCake

*may be...
Can anyone offer a definitive answer?
Who has the airline compensated & for what?

photome

Wouldn't the compensation be for whoever paid for the ticket

DTDfanBoy

The airline has compensated you, as you are the passenger, the contract for carriage exists between yourself and the airline not the company who paid for the ticket.

For what ? It sounds like you were denied boarding, and BA are fulfilling their obligations under the regulation.

The only question that remains is if the company that paid for your travel is entitled to be compensated, what does the contract between your company and theirs stipulate, have you fulfilled your obligations under that contract or not, the fact that your were compensated by the airline is probably irrelevant.

I've received compensation in a similar circumstance, except I was hired directly by the company that paid for my flights, I fulfilled my contractual obligations to that company, and pocketed the money I received for my inconvenience, I never even informed the company concerned as it made no difference to our contract.

PigeonCake

Ok.
That's good enough for me. I told my boss anyway but it's nice to know the what the legal obligations are, & more specifically who the legal entities are.
That's my iPhone 5S paid for then.
Awesome. Thanks.

Mark2spark

The EU261 Regulation gives compensation to *passengers*.
Not who paid for the ticket.
If the (your) company suffered loss or damage then they might have a claim under Montreal Convention... a completely different ball game.

You keep the compo, because if your company didn't pay you for being 'out of service' during the delay...? It's *you* that has suffered the inconvienience.

socrates1882

You are being compensated for your time. That was the principle the EC sought to establish - hence the uniform amount.