Some airlines and airports are members of alternate dispute resolution bodies (ADR). Some of these bodies have been approved by the CAA for providing a high standard of dispute resolution for consumer disputes stemming from a contract for aviation services; others will have been approved by other EU Member States.
If you have been dissatisfied with the response of an airline or airport to your complaint, you should be sent information on whether ADR is available in the airline/airport's final response. If you have not received a final response in eight or more weeks, you may also be able to refer your complaint to the ADR body directly - check below for whether your airline has agreed to participate in an ADR scheme, and for the contact details of the different CAA-approved ADR bodies.
Airline ADR schemes must handle the following types of complaints:
- Denied boarding, delay, or cancellation;
- Destruction, damage, loss, or delayed transportation of baggage;
- Destruction, damage, or loss of items worn or carried by the passenger;
- Problems faced by disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility when using air transport services (i.e. complaints about airlines arising under Regulation EC1107);
and - Any disputes arising where the consumer alleges that the business is not trading fairly. Here we are referring to situations where the consumer has been misled, for example into paying more for the flight or into buying something that they didn't actually want, where the consumer has been harmed by the use by the business of an unfair contract term, or where the consumer has been otherwise harmed by the breach by the business of general consumer protection law. Such disputes must be specific to the fairness of a particular contract term or commercial practice in relation to the customers individual circumstances. Airline ADR schemes are not required to handle disputes about the general fairness of the terms of a contract for aviation services or the general fairness of an airlines commercial practices.
Airport ADR schemes handle complaints regarding:
- Problems faced by disabled passengers with reduced mobility when using air transport services
Members of ADR schemes (airlines)
| Airline | ADR body | Start date of ADR scheme | Will ADR scheme accept complaints where the deadlock letter is dated prior to scheme start date? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Astana | AviationADR | 10 June 2016 | Yes |
| Air Baltic |
AviationADR | 01 December 2021 | Yes |
| Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge | AviationADR | 8 August 2016 | Yes |
| Air France | AviationADR | 24 April 2017 | Yes |
| Asiana Airlines | AviationADR | 10 June 2016 | Yes |
| Austrian Airlines | söp | 26 August 2016 | Yes |
| British Airways | CEDR | 1 June 2016 | Yes |
| Brussels Airlines | söp | 24 October 2016 | Yes |
| Buzz |
AviationADR | 07 April 2022 | Yes |
| Cathay Pacific |
CEDR | 05 May 2022 | Yes |
| Czech Airlines | Czech Trade Inspection Authority | 26 August 2016 | Yes |
| Delta | AviationADR | 1 October 2017 | Yes |
| easyJet | AviationADR | 20 May 2019 | Yes |
| EgyptAir | AviationADR | 1 June 2016 | Yes |
| Eurowings | söp | 1 August 2016 | Yes |
| Garuda Indonesia | AviationADR | 16 June 2017 | Yes |
| Germanwings | söp | 1 August 2016 | Yes |
| KLM | AviationADR | 24 April 2017 | Yes |
| Lauda |
AviationADR | 07 April 2022 | Yes |
| Lufthansa | söp | 1 August 2016 | Yes |
| Malta Air |
AviationADR | 07 April 2022 | Yes |
| Oman Air | AviationADR | 01 April 2019 | Yes |
| Royal Brunei | AviationADR | 09 January 2017 | Yes |
| Ryanair | AviationADR | 24 June 2021 | Yes |
| Scandinavian Airlines SAS | CEDR | 14 February 2022 | Yes |
| Smartwings / Travel Services | Czech Trade Inspection Authority | 16 January 2017 | Yes |
| South African Airways | AviationADR | 29 July 2016 | Yes |
| Swiss | söp | 1 August 2016 | Yes |
| TAP Portugal (Transportes Aereos Portugeses S.A.) | AviationADR | 27 June 2016 | Yes |
| TUI Airways (formerly Thomson) | AviationADR | 1 October 2019 | Yes |
| Turkish Airlines | AviationADR | 1 June 2016 | Yes |
| Virgin Atlantic | AviationADR | 24 January 2017 | Yes |
| Wizz Air | AviationADR | 20 July 2016 | Yes |
Members of ADR schemes (airports)
Please note that complaints covered include those related only to disability.
| Airports | ADR body | Start date of ADR scheme | Will ADR scheme accept complaints where the deadlock letter is dated prior to scheme start date? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Airport | CEDR | 1 April 2017 | No |
| East Midlands | AviationADR | 1 May 2017 | Yes |
|
Humberside airport |
April 2018 |
Yes |
|
| London City Airport | AviationADR | 31 March 2017 | Yes |
| London Gatwick Airport | CEDR | 1 April 2017 | Yes |
| London Heathrow | CEDR | 1 June 2017 | Yes |
| London Stansted | CEDR | 15 September 2017 | Yes |
| Manchester Airport | CEDR | 17 May 2017 | Yes |
Contact details of ADR providers
Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited (AviationADR)
|
AviationADR (Consumer Dispute Resolution Limited) |
Website: https://www.aviationadr.org.uk/
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3540 8063
Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)
Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)
International Dispute Resolution Centre
100 St. Paul's Churchyard
London
EC4M 8BU
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7536 6099
Fax: +44 (0)845 1308 117
Email: aviation@cedr.com
Website: www.cedr.com/aviation
Twitter: @CEDRconsumerADR
Czech Trade Inspection Authority (CTIA)
Email: podatelna@coi.cz
Website: https://www.coi.cz/en/for-consumers/consumer-rights-advice-and-information/
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