Alternative dispute resolution

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	Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr	26 August 2016	Yes
BA CityFlyer	CEDR	11 October 2022	Yes
British Airways	CEDR	1 June 2016	Yes
Brussels Airlines	Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr	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	Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr	1 August 2016	Yes
Garuda Indonesia	AviationADR	16 June 2017	Yes
Germanwings	Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr	1 August 2016	Yes
KLM	AviationADR	24 April 2017	Yes
Lauda	AviationADR	07 April 2022	Yes
Lufthansa	Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr	1 August 2016	Yes
Malta Air	AviationADR	07 April 2022	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
Swiss	Schlichtung Reise & Verkehr	1 August 2016	Yes
TAP Portugal (Transportes Aereos Portugueses 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

Close Members of ADR schemes (airlines)

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
Cornwall Airport	CEDR	22 November 2023	No
Humberside Airport	AviationADR	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