Current News: Australia Is Contemplating Following the European Regulation
In the UK, passenger rights are clearly outlined under European Regulation 261/2004. This is the binding law for any flight delay compensation claim. Airlines are said to be responsible for passengers until they reach their final destination and if the airline is not able to do so, then they are held fully responsible. According to EC Regulation 261/2004, if a passenger arrives at their destination 3 hours late they are entitled to claim compensation for their loss of time. However, there are no existing laws or regulations in Australia that enforce airlines to pay compensation to passengers that suffer from flight delays or cancellations.
It has recently been found that 20% of domestic flights in Australia were delayed or cancelled in 2013. This refers to approximately 125,000 flights and over 20 million passengers. These high statistics have raised alarm bells and is the reason behind the idea of Australia joining the rest of Europe to follow the European Regulation (flight delays) 261/2004. If flight delay compensation laws are tightened in Australia then it should improve the level of customer service tremendously. Airlines would be more aware of the current situation if they were forced to pay EU regulation flight delay compensation [http://www.freeprnow.com/pr/ec-regulation-2612004-explained-in-more-detail]. In March of this year over 16,000 domestic flights were disrupted. The average compensation pay-out in Europe is 400 euros (minimum of 250€, maximum of 600€). Meaning that if 100 people on each of the 16,000 delayed flights claimed compensation for their loss of time then airlines could be facing a potential bill of 640 million euros.
Among the major airlines in Australia, Tiger air received the most complaints with regards to flight delays and cancellations last year. It was the worst performer out of all of the Australian airlines, departing on time for just 76% of flights. This percentage simply isn't concrete enough for passengers to rely on. Qantas and Rex were the most punctual of the airlines, as 88.5% of Qantas flights departed on time. Virgin Australia is another major operating airline in Australia who do provide passengers with commodities such as food vouchers, accommodation and alternative transportation or sometimes a refund in the unfortunate event of a flight delay or cancellation.
Blueway Limited is a flight delay refunds company based in the UK. Blueway Limited have been continuously winning compensation claims for passengers from all over Europe, America and even as far as China. If Australia does decide to follow the European Regulation then Blueway Limited could potentially manage cases on behalf of Australian passengers in addition to Europe. The fact that there have been so many flight disruptions and so little compensation granted to passengers is not fair on those who have been subject to such heavy delays. This should be rectified and dealt with accordingly. If Australia does decide to follow the EC Regulation then services such as Blueway will be there to assist.
It has recently been found that 20% of domestic flights in Australia were delayed or cancelled in 2013. This refers to approximately 125,000 flights and over 20 million passengers. These high statistics have raised alarm bells and is the reason behind the idea of Australia joining the rest of Europe to follow the European Regulation (flight delays) 261/2004. If flight delay compensation laws are tightened in Australia then it should improve the level of customer service tremendously. Airlines would be more aware of the current situation if they were forced to pay EU regulation flight delay compensation [http://www.freeprnow.com/pr/ec-regulation-2612004-explained-in-more-detail]. In March of this year over 16,000 domestic flights were disrupted. The average compensation pay-out in Europe is 400 euros (minimum of 250€, maximum of 600€). Meaning that if 100 people on each of the 16,000 delayed flights claimed compensation for their loss of time then airlines could be facing a potential bill of 640 million euros.
Among the major airlines in Australia, Tiger air received the most complaints with regards to flight delays and cancellations last year. It was the worst performer out of all of the Australian airlines, departing on time for just 76% of flights. This percentage simply isn't concrete enough for passengers to rely on. Qantas and Rex were the most punctual of the airlines, as 88.5% of Qantas flights departed on time. Virgin Australia is another major operating airline in Australia who do provide passengers with commodities such as food vouchers, accommodation and alternative transportation or sometimes a refund in the unfortunate event of a flight delay or cancellation.
Blueway Limited is a flight delay refunds company based in the UK. Blueway Limited have been continuously winning compensation claims for passengers from all over Europe, America and even as far as China. If Australia does decide to follow the European Regulation then Blueway Limited could potentially manage cases on behalf of Australian passengers in addition to Europe. The fact that there have been so many flight disruptions and so little compensation granted to passengers is not fair on those who have been subject to such heavy delays. This should be rectified and dealt with accordingly. If Australia does decide to follow the EC Regulation then services such as Blueway will be there to assist.
Source...