Tuesday, August 22, 2023
British travellers lose out to Brexit, again
Once more, predictions about the impact of Brexit on Britsh travellers have come to pass. We have already lost free mobile roaming within the EU, have to get visas for certain countries, overcome major obstacles if we want to settle abroad and face endless queues at airports when previously we could use the EU citizen lane, now we have lost the right to compensation when making journeys to the UK from non-EU countries on EU airlines.
The Independent reports that the long-standing right to cash compensation of over £500 no longer applies for travellers making journeys to the UK from non-EU countries on airlines such as Air France, KLM and Lufthansa, losing British travellers millions of pounds.
The paper says that while travellers on disrupted flights who are ending their trips in the EU are entitled to hotels and meals, UK-bound passengers no longer have an automatic right to recover expenses from a European Union carrier – and are also unable to claim €600 (£513) in cash compensation when the airline is responsible for the delay:
The European air passengers’ rights regulation, known as EC261, has been in force for 17 years – benefiting millions of passengers.
But the “third-country” status the UK government sought after the vote to leave the EU means British travellers’ rights are weakened.
A ruling by the European Court of Justice means that trips from non-EU locations to British airports via hubs such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris CDG are excluded from compensation and care rights.
Paul Charles, chief executive of the travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “It’s pretty clear that travellers from a ‘third country’ like the UK are now being treated as third-class citizens. This is another example where we’re worse off after Brexit, having zero rights and in a poorer position than before the separation from the EU.
What else did we expect?
The Independent reports that the long-standing right to cash compensation of over £500 no longer applies for travellers making journeys to the UK from non-EU countries on airlines such as Air France, KLM and Lufthansa, losing British travellers millions of pounds.
The paper says that while travellers on disrupted flights who are ending their trips in the EU are entitled to hotels and meals, UK-bound passengers no longer have an automatic right to recover expenses from a European Union carrier – and are also unable to claim €600 (£513) in cash compensation when the airline is responsible for the delay:
The European air passengers’ rights regulation, known as EC261, has been in force for 17 years – benefiting millions of passengers.
But the “third-country” status the UK government sought after the vote to leave the EU means British travellers’ rights are weakened.
A ruling by the European Court of Justice means that trips from non-EU locations to British airports via hubs such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris CDG are excluded from compensation and care rights.
Paul Charles, chief executive of the travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: “It’s pretty clear that travellers from a ‘third country’ like the UK are now being treated as third-class citizens. This is another example where we’re worse off after Brexit, having zero rights and in a poorer position than before the separation from the EU.
What else did we expect?
