Brexit May Leave UK Residents Without Flight Rights
Jennifer Billock October 19, 2017
An unintended consequence may hit air travelers due to Brexit: a lack of flight rights for consumers.
Currently, air travelers from the European Union are afforded a certain set of rights, but once Brexit kicks in, travelers from the United Kingdom will potentially be excluded. That means that current laws applying to European Union citizens – including compensation owed to consumers if a flight is delayed or canceled or a customer is downgraded to a lower cabin – will no longer apply to U.K. residents.
An aviation deal for the post-Brexit world has not yet been reached, and airlines are working on contingency plans for what to do should any U.K. flights get grounded. Currently the airlines are updating their websites to note that no flight reservations are guaranteed, not just those to the EU, but also to 17 other countries like the U.S. With this new language, the flight cost for a cancelled flight would be refunded, but no other compensation would be available.
British Airways showed optimism toward an upcoming aviation deal with the government, saying in a statement reported by The Independent that “we’re confident that a comprehensive air transport agreement between the EU and the UK will be reached. It’s in the UK and Europe’s interest to have a fully liberalised aviation agreement. Nine hundred million travellers each year have benefited from open skies in Europe. That not only benefits customers but creates and helps to sustain jobs and wealth.”
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary was not so positive, though: “The worst case scenario is becoming more and more likely,” he told Sky News in August. “The onus is on the British government to deliver a deal. If there’s no deal by March ’19, Britain gets thrown out of the European Union, you’re out of open skies and there will be no flights.”
[Photo: Shutterstock]
Hmm London Heathrown and Gtawick.. will these airports close? no garbage journalism as it's finest.
This is a good thing. Why are airlines paying for weather irrops - paying for thousands of people on any one given day for a delay or cancellation due to events beyond their control? The only time an airline should be paying hotel and food costs are during a mechanical delay or cancellation - like in the U.S. Stop giving the store away.
This isn't about EU261 compensation per se, as Brexit would count as an "extraordinary circumstance." However, it does seem as though the UK government is agreeing to allow airlines not to pay hotel costs, etc. as they currently would in the event of a weather event, for instance, by waiving the enforcement in connection with Brexit specifically. If Britain does leave without a deal, meaning no airlines are authorised to operate between the UK and Europe, or between the UK and any of hte countries where there is no independent national authorisation to operate (only EU to destination country authorisation, as is thecase with the UK) then British airlines would not be authorisd to operate the affected international routes. As such, flights couldn't take off until the issue is resolved. The problem is not as simple as transcribing the authorisations, however, because Britain won't accept ANY EU oversight, only a neutral or British arbiter (which doesn't exist yet for this area, and many others, because until now there hasn't been any need for one). EU261 will be incorporated into domestic law, at least initially, but that won't matter if no planes are allowed to take off.
Aaaah, let's just sit back, relax and enjoy yet another chapter of this self-inflicted insanity to backfire on the Brits. I am sure, there's yet much more to come and I am looking forward to enjoying this spectacle!
Complete rubbish journalism.