Force airlines to offer compensation to flight delay passengers, Tories told

30 August 2023 , 11:08

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Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and holidays plunged into chaos after a data glitch with the UK's air traffic control system (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Airlines should be slapped with fines if they fail to offer adequate compensation to holidaymakers left stranded by a disastrous air traffic control failure, Labour has said.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and holidays plunged into chaos after a data glitch with the UK's air traffic control system on Monday, which forced controllers to input flight plans manually. The chaos - described by the Government as the worst incident of its kind in "nearly a decade" - dragged on for a third day as Brits were left sleeping on airport floors or forced to take long diversions to get home.

Labour told ministers to "stop dragging their feet" and give legal powers to the regulator to issue financial penalties on operators that refuse to compensate passengers. In a letter to her Tory counterpart Mark Harper, Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the Government must give the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) powers to fine airlines who refuse to provide adequate compensation.

She said some operators had been "playing fast and loose with the rights of passengers" - with people waiting years to receive payouts after a previous bouts of serious disruption.

Holidaymakers are not entitled to compensation for cancelled flights as the issue was caused by air traffic control - deemed "extraordinary circumstances" - rather than the airlines themselves. But operators must reroute them or refund the cost of the flight, as well as providing food and accommodation.

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Ministers promised to beef up powers for the regulator back in 2022 but have so far failed to bring forward the legislation. Transport Minister Huw Merriman, who chaired the Commons Transport Committee at the time, accused the Government of a "missed opportunity" to help consumers in a report from October 2022.

Labour also demanded automatic refunds for passengers to save them from lengthy battles to claw back cash.

Ms Haigh told the Mirror: “Passengers are facing shocking levels of disruption, and the Conservatives have comprehensively failed to protect them when things go wrong. With hundreds of thousands of passengers facing yet more appalling disruption this week, it’s time for ministers to act. It’s time for ministers to stop dragging their feet and give regulators the powers they need to stand up for passengers.”

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Lizzy Buchan