European Court determines role of airlines in event of delays
Suppose you book a flight ticket with a transfer and the trip is executed by two different airlines. Because of a delay during the first flight, you miss the connecting flight and arrive at your destination hours later. In this case you are often entitled to a financial compensation, but which airline can be held responsible for the delays and should pay? The European Court of justice has clarified this in a statement.
Case
Passengers bought a flight ticket from Iberia to travel from Melilla – via Madrid – to Frankfurt. The domestic flight from Melilla to Madrid was operated by Air Nostrum, and the flight from Madrid to Frankfurt was operated by Iberia. The first flight was delayed, causing passengers to miss the connection to Frankfurt.
These passengers initially entered into an agreement with Iberia. Does this mean that Iberia is responsible for the flight that was outsourced to Air Nostrum?
Statement of the European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice ruled that not Iberia, but the operating airline (Air Nostrum) is responsible for causing the delays, and for that reason they must also compensate the passengers financially.
The court also made a statement on the jurisdiction of German judicial authorities in this case. If passengers want to start a lawsuit against Air Nostrum they can also do that in Germany, despite the fact this concerns a Spanish domestic flight.
Calculate compensation
Have you dealt with flight delays or cancellations? With the help of our flight calculator you can calculate, in a few simple steps, whether or not you are entitled to compensation and if yes, which type.