Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the level of compliance of airlines in compensating passengers for delayed or cancelled flights; and what steps he plans to take to increase compliance.
There is a framework of legislation in place to protect consumer rights when travelling by air, including when and what compensation is due in the event of cancellations and long delays, and airlines are obliged to provide passengers about their rights in those situations.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), as the Regulator for aviation, are responsible for the enforcement activities. They conduct assessments of industry and take forward action if breaches are found. The Government works closely with the CAA and will continue to do so.
We recently consulted on a range of consumer policy reforms, including additional powers for the CAA to enforce consumer rights and mandatory alternative dispute resolution for all airlines operating in the UK, to enable individuals to seek redress. We are currently reviewing all responses and will set out next steps in due course.