Today, the European Consumer Organization BEUC presented the results of an international survey of airline passengers. For this, 11,273 consumers, who had traveled within the last 12 months, had been surveyed during September and October 2016. The data was collected by means of online and paper questionnaires and includes more than 20,000 flight experiences. The examined countries include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
These are some of the essential results:
- The right to compensation for a delay of more than three hours or due to flight cancellation was respected in only 25 percent of the cases.
- The right to free food and drinks after a delay of more than two hours or due to flight cancellation was respected in only 46 percent of the cases.
- At the incidence of luggage problems, that is delay, damage or complete loss, a refund has been given in 15 percent of the cases.
Regarding the surveyed member states, these insights indicate an insufficient enforcement of the EU Air Passengers Regulation 261/2004, which provides consumers with specific rights regarding compensation and assistance in case of delay or cancellation of flights.
Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organization (BEUC), noted: “These survey results are worrying because, despite EU rules in place, airlines are often ignoring them and the authorities are not stepping in to enforce them. Air passenger rights must be protected in all cases and not just for those who complain. We call on airlines to hand out compensation when it is due and look after passengers in case of delays.”
Source: European Consumer Organization BEUC
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