The OP of this thread put the case against CO in the UK court, and he was awarded 600 Euros (plus 32 Euros for associated costs). CO informed him they wished to settle out of court for the other three family members. The UK office contacted the Houston office. When the Houston CO office tried to contact the OP to settle, then they tried playing games again, but the OP balked and negotiated with them to get what was rightly due to his family members. Kudos to this traveler.

My issue with CO-UA is that they seem to think they can evade, circumvent, and avoid the EU law and regulations because they are an American company. This does not matter. When they insist they only have to offer $200 instead of 600 Euros, this is plain wrong. They should and must follow the laws of the country in which they operate. The EU passed this legislation for this very reason so airlines would provide appropriate compensation to distressed passengers so that there is a strong incentive for them to not have their travel disrupted.