by The passengers were warned that they cannot claim compensation if they miss part of their vacation when hundreds of workers beat at Gatwick Airport at the Easter weekend.
The second largest airport in Great Britain could be affected by serious disorders if hundreds of luggage handler and flight distributors who work for personnel processing, take industrial measures, said the Unite Union last week.
Delta, Tap, Air Peace and Norwegian Airlines were affected by the strike campaign, whereby around 50 flights per day are disrupted in one of the most busy periods of the year.
Right -wing experts from aviation specialists Skyrefund have warned that strikes of the airport are considered “extraordinary circumstances”, which means that airlines are not obliged to pay customers financial compensation if they are exposed to long delays.
Ivaylo Danailov from Skyrefund announced that the standard passengers could not claim compensation for the missing part of their vacation or special occasions.
Mr. Danailov said: “Airlines most likely find replacement flights for their customers within a day or two, but that can mean that people lose part of their vacation.
“If it is the guilt of the airline, you are legally obliged to offer customers compensation in order to reflect the loss of time. In this case, however, you do not have to pay out.
“It is really shit when you have an important meeting or something similar. This strike basically excludes Gatwick. It is quite harmful. Unfortunately, it is something that happens quite often. It is one of the painful trips.”
In many cases, passengers can claim compensation of around 520 GBP (€ 600) if they arrive three hours later than planned to their final goal.
Usually, airline customers can claim compensation if there is an internal problem with the airline itself, e.g. B. technical errors, employees or pilots who work too many hours.
However, Mr. Danailov explained that the strikes than outside of the airlines control, since the luggage handler and flight distributor are not directly busy by an airline.
However, the right -wing expert explained that airlines still have a duty of care to their customers and receive the choice of being re -booked on an alternative flight or accepting a refund for the costs of the flight if there are major delays.
The airlines must cover the costs of customers, including their food and their accommodation, while they are waiting to be accepted on an alternative flight, explained Danailov.
In practice, however, you often provide this support in the event of major disorders, since they are overwhelmed by inquiries and are not enough rooms available in local hotels.
Mr. Danailov said: “In reality, the airlines usually answer very slowly, as thousands of passengers try to contact their customer services.
“There can be five hours of waiting. In these situations it can be really difficult to reach the airlines.
“It is really important to keep all your receipts for your expenses. If you have all receipts, you can return to the airline in a few days and claim all sums owed to you.
“In England, Wales and Northern Ireland you have six years to make an assertion. In Scotland it is five years. Even if you do not raise the claim immediately, you still have time.”
