Consumers are entitled to full compensation for cancelled flights. But, as things stand, the watchdog can’t make it happen
Flying certainly isn’t as glamorous as it once was, but that doesn’t mean it has been as painful as it is right now. Airlines charge customers for small comforts – such as sitting next to the person you booked the flight with – and that’s if your flight even gets off the ground. Many customers have been left grounded after cancelled flights, praying they’ll get the compensation they’re legally entitled to. It’s not a situation that any sector, or regulator, should be happy with.
Aviation is a cutthroat business with extremely tight profit margins. The sector is littered with corpses, such as Monarch and Thomas Cook, showing what happens to businesses with an unsustainable model. But the current crisis is the result of airlines being too focused on profits and not paying enough attention to customers and staff wellbeing.
Callum Tennant is a freelance travel and energy reporter
