Force airlines to offer compensation to late flight passengers, Tories say

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Labour has asked ministers to 'stop the foot-dragging' and give the regulator the legal power to impose financial penalties on airline operators who refuse to compensate the passengers.

Hundreds of flights have been canceled and holidays thrown into chaos after a data problem with the UK's air traffic control system (

Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Airlines should be fined if they fail to provide adequate compensation to holidaymakers stranded by a disastrous air traffic control failure, Labor said.

Hundreds of flights have been canceled and holidays thrown into chaos after a data problem with the UK's air traffic control system on Monday forced controllers to manually enter flight plans . The chaos - described by the government as the worst such incident in 'nearly a decade' - dragged on for a third day as Britons slept on airport floors or were forced to take long stretches detours to get home.

Labour has called on ministers to 'stop the foot-dragging' and give the regulator the legal power to impose financial penalties on operators who refuse to compensate passengers. In a letter to her Tory counterpart Mark Harper, Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said the government must give the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the power to impose fines on airlines that refuse to provide adequate compensation.

She said some operators were “playing fast and loose with passenger rights” – people waiting years to receive payments after previous periods of severe disruption.

Holidaymakers are not entitled to compensation for canceled flights, as the problem is caused by air traffic control - considered "extraordinary circumstances" - rather than the airlines themselves. But operators must reroute them or reimburse the cost of the flight, as well as provide them with food and accommodation.

Ministers have promised to boost the regulator's powers as early as 2022, but have so far failed to deliver the legislation. Former Transport Minister Huw Merriman, who chairs the Commons Transport Committee, has accused the government of a "missed opportunity" to help consumers.

Labour has also demanded automatic refunds for passengers to save them from long battles to recover money.

Ms Haigh told the Mirror: ‘Passengers are facing shocking levels of disruption, and the Tories have completely failed to protect them when things go wrong. As hundreds of thousands of passengers face even more appalling disruption this week, it's time for ministers to act. It's time ministers stopped dragging their feet and gave regulators the powers they need to stand up for passengers. »

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