Thousands could claim compensation worth up to £520 if their flight was delayed or cancelled thanks to a new court ruling. According to a report by Money Saving Expert , you could potentially be due a payout if your flight was cancelled or delayed over the last six years due to pilot or crew sickness. It comes after a new court ruling from two British Airways customers.
The couple's BA CityFlyer flight from London to Milan was cancelled shortly before departure due to the pilot being sick. To make it to London, the couple had to get a different flight which saw them arrive two hours and 36 minutes later than planned. This should've made them eligible for £220 each in compensation.
However, BA CityFlyer, which is part of British Airways, refused to pay arguing that pilot sickness was outside of its control. The case was taken to court and eventually made it to the Supreme Court. This means the decision made is final and cannot be further challenged or appealed.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the BA customers. The court noted that staff illness was "commonplace in any business" and that "the non-attendance of the captain due to illness could in no way be categorised as extraordinary". MSE says that although this judgement focuses on one couple's experience, the Supreme Court said this decision has the potential to affect tens of thousands of claims each year as future complaints should now follow this ruling.
The MSE team noted that while this case was going through the.
