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 more general 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.
Airport ADR schemes handle complaints regarding:
- Problems faced by disabled passengers with reduced mobility when using air transport services