Airline ordered to pay $7000 in compensation to passenger

A passenger took a case against an international airline after the airline failed to notify the passenger of several flight cancellations, which resulted in the passenger missing connecting flights and arriving late to their destination.  In addition the passenger’s luggage did not arrive until five days later. 

The passenger was awarded reimbursement for the flight costs and also reimbursement of $914.97 for extra travel and accommodation costs incurred to other airlines and providers due to the cancellations.

The airline failed to respond to communication from the passenger, and when the Disputes Tribunal claim was filed, the airline failed to respond to the Disputes Tribunal, nor did any of its representatives attend the hearing.

The Disputes Tribunal found that while scheduling changes are expected, the passenger was entitled to the full amount of compensation, because the airline failed to provide its service with “reasonable care and skill”.  The airline should have notified the passenger of flight cancellations well in advance and should have delivered the luggage in a timely manner too.  Additionally, the airline failed to have a robust and fit-for-purpose complaint system which could efficiently deal with passenger issues.

The airline has since acknowledged its service failures and agreed to compensate the passenger for the full amount of the judgment.

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Alan Knowsley

Disputes Lawyer
Wellington