Did the itinerary touch the EU? In that case he is intitled to the quite hefty downgrade compensation from the EU passenger rights.
Not enough. If the operating carrier is not an EU carrier, the regulation only applies to flights
from an EU airport.
Moreover, even if the itinerary originates in the EU and you are on the outbound, I do not think that the Reg would apply for a leg on a non-EU carrier between 2 non-EU airports. Oh the fun of trying to explain to the Air Pacific check-in agent in Nadi that you demand your EU reg entitlements due to the canx/downgrade of your Nadi-Suva flight...
