According to a leading passenger compensation company, Airhelp, some airlines are increasing scheduled flight times in order to avoid paying compensation to passengers who are delayed.
The company is basing the claims on a study by the British consumer organization WHICH, who report that despite the development of technology, some air routes are currently 35 minutes slower than previous schedules.
Specifically, some of the companies that appear to be slowing down are British Airways, EasyJet and Ryanair, and by doing so, the flights appear to be within the scheduled arrival, or even early at times, when the reality is the flights could have been delayed if the actual route flying time was measured.
AirHelp , the leading online platform that helps travellers obtain compensation for delays, cancellations or denied boarding, has studied the routes on which the airlines have extended flight times. With this practice,airlines are avoiding paying millions to affected passengers, which they are entitled to. In fact, so far in 2018, airlines have saved more than 4 million euro by using these techniques, or, to put it another way, delayed passengers have been denied 4 million euro in compensation.
Paloma Salmeron, director of global communications AirHelp,explains that “many airlines try to make it increasingly more difficult to enforce a claim, and tactics to extend the flight time is another way to reduce the chances that passengers can submit a claim and receive financial compensation for the inconvenience they have suffered.”
The airlines that carry out this practice save more money every year. In 2015, 1.5 million euro was saved; in 2016, 2 million euro and last year the number rose to 4 million euro. So far in 2018, the amount has already exceeded 4 million, for a total of more than 11 million euro that airlines are avoiding paying compensation for delayed flights.
“There are many more flights, which often means more congestion and flight delays. But it is also true that modern aircraft can travel slower to consume less fuel. For this reason, it makes sense that airlines operating more modern aircraft extend flights, and with this tactic avoid paying the additional costs of compensation for flight delays,” says Salmeron.
As indicated in European legislation, if airlines are responsible for delays of more than three hours, or cancellations or denied boarding, they will have to pay compensation of up to 600 euro per person.
The requirement for this is that the airport of departure or arrival must be within the European Union. In addition, the airline must be responsible for this delay. In these cases, the passenger is entitled to make a claim within a maximum period of three years from the date of the incident.
In extraordinary circumstances such as storms or medical emergencies, the airline is exempt from the obligation to compensate passengers.
In the event that the delay exceeds two hours, airlines are also obliged to provide passengers with meals, free drinks, and access to communication and even accommodation, if necessary.
To request the corresponding claim, passengers can use the free AirHelp application available from the Google Play Store and Apple AppStore. For more information or check the air right to compensation, you can visit: www.airhelp.com
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