Shake up of UK Flight Delay Compensation rules coming?

bagand96

As reported by the BBC: Airlines may pay out for one-hour UK flight delays - BBC News

Seems a bit of a shake up might be coming including the introduction of tiered compensation payments from a 1 hour delay, although potentially limited by the price the customer payed.

Under the new plan, which is under consultation, passengers would be entitled to:

• 25% of the ticket price for a delay of more than one hour but less than two hours
• 50% of the ticket price for a delay of more than two hours but less than three hours
• 100% of the ticket price for a delay of more than three hours.

Seems to offer more questions than it answers at this stage and could create a more complex system. Would depend if the new legislation only applies to UK domestic, or replaces EC261 completely for UK registered carriers?  


Let's say a 4 hour delay Manchester - Barcelona

- Vueling: €250 compensation as per EC261
- Jet2: 100% of ticket price as per UK regulation

or to complicate it further:

- Ryanair: €250 as per EC261 if operated by Ryanair DAC
- Ryanair: 100% of ticket price if operated by Ryanair UK
- easyJet: 100% of ticket price if operated by easyJet Airline Ltd
- easyJet: €250 if operated by easyJet Europe

Of course on the return leg BCN-MAN all airlines would have to pay €250 for said 4 hour delay as a flight departing the EU.

I'm sure UK based airlines would welcome a restriction based on the ticket price.  Customers not so much!

emmajones1976

bagand96 said:

As reported by the BBC: Airlines may pay out for one-hour UK flight delays - BBC News

Seems a bit of a shake up might be coming including the introduction of tiered compensation payments from a 1 hour delay, although potentially limited by the price the customer payed.

Under the new plan, which is under consultation, passengers would be entitled to:

• 25% of the ticket price for a delay of more than one hour but less than two hours
• 50% of the ticket price for a delay of more than two hours but less than three hours
• 100% of the ticket price for a delay of more than three hours.

Seems to offer more questions than it answers at this stage and could create a more complex system. Would depend if the new legislation only applies to UK domestic, or replaces EC261 completely for UK registered carriers?  


Let's say a 4 hour delay Manchester - Barcelona

- Vueling: €250 compensation as per EC261
- Jet2: 100% of ticket price as per UK regulation

or to complicate it further:

- Ryanair: €250 as per EC261 if operated by Ryanair DAC
- Ryanair: 100% of ticket price if operated by Ryanair UK
- easyJet: 100% of ticket price if operated by easyJet Airline Ltd
- easyJet: €250 if operated by easyJet Europe

Of course on the return leg BCN-MAN all airlines would have to pay €250 for said 4 hour delay as a flight departing the EU.

I'm sure UK based airlines would welcome a restriction based on the ticket price.  Customers not so much!

52% of the customers voted to remove these draconian EU laws, remember? 🤪🤪🤪

Grumpy_chap

The BBC article is clear that the proposed rules relate to UK Domestic Flights only.


Manchester - Barcelona is not UK Domestic Flight.

bagand96

Grumpy_chap said:

The BBC article is clear that the proposed rules relate to UK Domestic Flights only.


Manchester - Barcelona is not UK Domestic Flight.

The news outlets I've seen all start by saying domestic flights but later on all refer to "replacing EC261" or "replacing EU legislation adopted post-Brexit".

Maybe we end up with a two-tier system: one level of compensation for domestic flights and another for international, more aligned with EC261.  I was suggesting a scenario where EC261 was "replaced" or "abolished" with what’s been reported today.  The announcements to press (or what the press have subsequently reported) seem quite light in detail. 

TELLIT01

I've always thought compensation should be limited to the initial cost of the flight, plus the proposed legislation is for internal UK flights only.  Anything beyond that is pure speculation on the part of the media.

Alan_Bowen

This is not going to make a major difference to most people, in 40 years of domestic flying I have only been delayed by more than 3 hours, where under the new rules I would now get less than the current £220, 3 times, and one of those was due to snow where no claim would arise.

However, the likes of Loganair and Eastern Airlines tend to operate small. older planes which are more susceptible to the elastic band breaking and for them I fear there may be more 1 and 2-hour delays which currently cost them nothing but will do in the future. We all know who really pays when in airlines costs rise, and it isn't the airline!