Airlines face bosses' bill for delayed travellers, EU court says

Employers of business travellers left in the lurch by delayed flights can claim compensation from airlines, the EU’s top court said in another ruling beefing up passengers’ rights. Air carriers can’t avoid paying for losses suffered by employers, the EU Court of Justice said in a binding judgment Wednesday, referring to the Montreal Convention. A group of airlines attacked the ruling. “The concept of consumer” under the convention “may include persons who are not themselves carried and are therefore not passengers,” the EU court ruled. The convention “must be interpreted as being applicable not only to the damage suffered by a passenger, but also to the damage suffered by a person in its capacity as an employer.” The case is the latest in a long line of rulings on airlines’ obligations when schedules aren’t met. <br/>