Thousands More Passengers Eligible To Claim Flight Compensation Following easyjet Ruling.
Air passenger rights were handed a major boost this week as a Judge ruled that adverse weather for a previous flight is not an extraordinary circumstance for subsequent flight delays in a landmark ruling.
Leading flight delay compensation solicitors Bott and Co brought the claim against Easyjet before Macclesfield County Court on Monday 16th September 2013 after the airline had initially argued to the client that compensation was not payable in the case of delays.
It’s another victory for passenger rights…easyjet made what should be a simple process, very complicated for their customers, (but) justice ultimately prevailed.
It was not a good day for easyjett as they went on to lose all the cases they were defending against passengers on four separate flights between September 2010 and February 2013.
Paul Hinchliffe, Managing Partner of Bott and Co Solicitors, the firm who represented all the clients against easyjet, commented: “It’s another victory for passenger rights, and despite the fact that easyjet made what should be a simple process, very complicated for their customers, justice ultimately prevailed and I give credit to the Judge for that.”
“The law is clear and airlines continue to exhibit a flagrant disregard for the regulations. The very fact that passengers have to resort to using a solicitor to recover their compensation shows the lack of respect the airlines have towards their customers.”
The law is clear and airlines continue to exhibit a flagrant disregard for the regulations
The ruling by Deputy District Judge Benson in the case of Frederique Jager on that weather conditions affecting a previous flight does not fall under the airline’s defence of extraordinary circumstances means that many thousands of passengers who have previously been refused compensation by the airline or the CAA could now be eligible for a payout.
Mr Hinchliffe went on to say: “We received hundreds of cases every week where passengers have not got anywhere with the airlines and so they come to us for help.
“We have a unique online claim form that will give you immediate advice on if you have a valid flight this means you can find out for free if it’s worth pursing or not, and it only takes a couple of minutes.”
Flight claims are hitting the headlines after EU Regulation 261 was updated in October 2012 entitling passengers to claim up to €600 for a flight that is delayed more than three hours after its scheduled arrival time when departing from an EU airport or arriving from outside the EU on an EU carrier. The compensation is paid out based on distance travelled with smaller amounts for shorter distances.
Notes to Editors
Bott and Co is a solicitors firm based in Wilmslow, Cheshire and specialising in personal injury and flight delay compensation.
The company was founded in 2001 by David Bott, Paul Hinchliffe and Gary Froggatt.
Bott and Co employ 75 staff and a quarter of those staff have received funding for training or career development from the company.
The business had a turnover of £11.8m in 2012/13
Bott and Co won CILEx Employer of the Year in 2010 and was runner up as Manchester Law Society’s Law Firm of the Year 2011.
David Bott is a past president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
Bott and Co is one of the most productive law firms in the country, ranking 4th for revenue per lawyer in The Lawyer’s UK200 in 2012.
About Bott and Company
Bott and Company is a specialist consumer rights law firm founded in 2001 by David Bott, Paul Hinchliffe and Gary Froggatt and was one of the first firms to be granted Alternative Business Structure (ABS) status.
The Company believes in delivering a great value and high quality legal service to its customers and is committed to maintaining ethical conduct at all times.
Accreditations Include:
Modern Law Awards
Bott and Co have been shortlisted in five categories for the 2013 awards including Innovation of the Year, Team of the Year, and ABS of the Year.
Law Society Excellence Awards
Bott and Co was shortlisted for a practice management award in 2007 at the Law Society Excellence Awards. And has been shortlisted for 3 categories in 2013; Junior Lawyer of the Year, Excellence in Marketing and Communications, and Excellence in Business Development and Innovation.
Investors In People
We continue to be accredited as an Investor in People and receive regular audits to ensure we comply with this kitemark.
Lexcel
The quality and high standard of the business and the practice management is demonstrated with the award of the Lexcel Practice Management Accreditation from the Law Society.
Manchester Legal Awards
Law Firm of the Year – We are proud to have been a finalist in the category of Law Firm of the Year at the Manchester Law Society legal awards 2012.
ilex Employer of the Year 2010
Bott and Co won the ilex Employer of the Year in 2010 due in large part to our unique internal training programme – Bott Academy.
About Regulation 261/2004
The European Union has published a universal form that can be used for filing complaints in relation to Regulation 261/2004 (air passenger rights). This form must be accepted under European law by ALL airlines and ALL European national enforcement bodies.