LONDON, UK: The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has taken enforcement action against Wizz Air, a low-cost airline, for failing to pay passengers what they are legally entitled to when their flights are cancelled or delayed.
The CAA said it had received a high number of complaints from passengers who were not offered alternative flights, transfers, hotel costs or refunds by the airline.
It also found that Wizz Air had been issued with many County Court Judgements (CCJs) over the last nine months for not paying passengers.
The CAA has instructed Wizz Air to change its policies and procedures to comply with its passenger rights obligations and to review claims that it had previously rejected.
Wizz Air has agreed to sign undertakings with the CAA and to provide information about its review of closed claims.
The CAA will monitor the airline’s compliance and review a sample of the claims that Wizz Air relooks at.
Paul Smith, Joint-Interim Chief Executive at the CAA, said:
“This enforcement action sends a clear message that airlines must meet their obligations to passengers when they cancel or delay a flight. We will not hesitate to step in if we believe that airlines are not consistently doing this.
“Passengers have every right to expect their complaints and claims to be resolved quickly and efficiently and to be treated fairly by airlines, in line with regulations. We made it clear to Wizz Air last year that the way it was treating passengers was unacceptable.
“We will continue to watch the situation closely to check that passengers receive what they are owed and that Wizz Air’s policies have improved, so that consumers have a better experience if things go wrong”.