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SIA probed for not compensating passengers

This article is more than 12 months old

Singapore Airlines is one of five major carriers facing enforcement action by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority for denying passengers compensation for flight delays.

SIA told The Straits Times that it has been in touch with the authority on the matter.

Its spokesman said: "There is a lack of clarity in the law which is currently the subject of ongoing litigation before the Court of Appeal."

SIA will continue to work with the regulator "to resolve our differences", she said.

Under European rules, passengers are legally entitled to compensation if they arrive at the final destination more than three hours late - unless due to extraordinary circumstances. These rights apply to any flight departing an airport within the European Union, the regulator said in a statement yesterday.

The other airlines under probe include Emirates and American Airlines.

In its statement, the regulator said the airlines have confirmed that they do not pay compensation to passengers who have experienced a delay on the first leg of a flight that caused them to miss a connecting flight andarrive at their destination over three hours late.

"The airlines' refusal to pay compensation fail to meet the legal passenger rights requirements for flight disruption," it said.

According to the UK regulator, about 200,000 passengers a year travelling on these airlines could be at risk of not receiving due compensation.

Its director of consumers and markets, Mr Richard Moriarty, said: "Any disruption to a flight is frustrating, but delays that cause people to miss connecting flights have a particularly damaging effect on travel plans.

"That's why there are clear laws to make sure passengers that experience this type of disruption are looked after by their airline and compensated when the disruption was in the airline's control."

AVIATION INDUSTRYunited kingdomSingapore Airlines