UK flight compensation plan will slash average payouts

The government’s plan to overhaul the air passenger compensation scheme has been described as a step backwards for consumers, leading to “small amounts of compensation that often won’t be worth claiming”. Earlier this week the Department for Transport (DfT) announced it is consulting on proposals to overhaul the air passengers’ rights rules – but only for flights within the UK. The move, described by the government as “another Brexit win”, will lead to a two-tier system, with the UK scheme operating alongside the original EC 261 rules that were adopted before Britain left the EU, and still apply to international flights in and out of UK airports. The DfT is limited in its ability to change rules around foreign flights because of the international conventions on air travel. Currently, someone on an internal flight from Edinburgh to London is entitled to claim GBP220 once their flight has been delayed three hours, unless the cause was extraordinary circumstances such as bad weather. The compensation payable is fixed and is not linked to the price paid by the passenger. Long-haul travellers on a flight from Japan to the UK are entitled to £520 if delayed four hours or more, alongside other beneficial terms such as rerouting had the flight been cancelled. Story has details.<br/>