The European Court of Justice has ruled that passengers are entitled to claim compensation for delays on connecting flights outside the EU.
The decision means that passengers who are denied boarding or have their non-EU connecting flights cancelled or delayed by more than three hours can claim for compensation if the issue was not caused by extraordinary circumstances.
For instance, if a passenger is flying from London to Sydney with a connection in Dubai and the latter flight is delayed or cancelled, they are still covered by the compensation law EU261/2004. Extraordinary circumstances include acts of terrorism, security risks, extreme weather conditions, political or civil unrest, hidden manufacturing defects and certain strikes.
The ruling follows the EU court’s decision that wildcat strikes are no longer classified as extraordinary circumstances.
Coby Benson, flight delay compensation solicitor at Bott and Co, commented: “This judgement will ensure that passengers on connecting flights will now have the same high level of protection as passengers who chose to fly direct to their destination.”
Find out more about the ruling here.