REG - Civil Aviation Auth. - CAA brings enforcement action against Wizz Air

Wizz Air HoldingsAnnouncement

27/07/2023 08:15

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RNS Number : 3251H  Civil Aviation Authority  27 July 2023

27 July 2023

Regulator brings enforcement action against Wizz Air

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has taken enforcement action against Wizz Air
(Wizz Air Holdings Plc) following significant concerns over high volumes of
complaints about the airline not paying passengers what they are owed.

The regulator has been in contact with Wizz Air for several months after
complaints by passengers that their rights had not been met when flights were
cancelled or delayed.

Passengers were left very frustrated because they believed the airline had
failed to meet its passenger rights obligations - particularly around
providing alternative flights to enable passengers to get to their
destinations when their flight had been cancelled.

This is likely to have contributed to a large number of County Court
Judgements (CCJs) which have been found against Wizz Air over the last nine
months.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has now instructed Wizz Air to make changes to
its policies and procedures to ensure consistent compliance with its
re-routing and care obligations.

Wizz Air has engaged with the regulator and has committed to introduce changes
to its policies, procedures and passenger communications.  The airline has
also committed to re-look at claims it received for replacement flight costs,
transfers when replacement flights were via different airports, and care and
assistance (typically hotel costs) following flight disruptions.

This will make sure passengers who made claims to Wizz Air in the past, but
had their claims incorrectly rejected, will receive the money they are legally
owed.

The action by the regulator will cover claims made for flights due to depart
from or arrive into a UK airport on or after 18 March 2022. No action is
needed on the part of passengers to ensure these claims are reviewed.
Passengers whose flights were due to depart from or arrive into a UK airport
before 18 March 2022 can also request for their claims with the airline to be
reopened, as long as their flight was no more than six years ago.

Wizz Air has agreed to sign undertakings to formalise these commitments with
the regulator.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority will monitor the airline for compliance with
its revised policies and procedures over the forthcoming months. As part of
the enforcement action, Wizz Air will also be required to provide information
to the UK Civil Aviation Authority about its review of closed expenses claims.

The regulator will also review a sample of the claims that Wizz Air relooks
at, so it is satisfied that passengers receive what they are owed.

Paul Smith, Joint-Interim Chief Executive at the UK Civil Aviation Authority,
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"

Notes to editors

·    The UK Civil Aviation Authority is the UK's aviation regulator. We
work so that the aviation industry meets the highest safety standards and
consumers have choice, value for money, are protected and treated fairly when
they fly.

·    The Civil Aviation Authority's civil enforcement powers stem from
Part 8 of the Enterprise Act 2002.  The regulator can use these powers to
seek information and undertakings from businesses if it believes they are
breaching consumer law in a way that harms the collective interests of
consumers.

·    An undertaking is a voluntary agreement a firm
makes to address an enforcement authority's concerns.  An undertaking
can also include enhanced consumer measures to provide redress to consumers
who have already suffered loss because of the suspected breaches.

·    These undertakings have been provided to the UK Civil Aviation
Authority voluntarily and without any admission of wrongdoing or liability. It
should not be assumed that Wizz Air has breached the law - only a court can
decide whether a breach has occurred.

·    Further information is available on the UK Civil Aviation Authority
website.
(http://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/travel-company-problems/enforcement-action/wizz-air-closed-expenses-claims)

 

Information for consumers

·    Airlines are required to offer passengers whose flights have been
cancelled the choice of an alternative flight at the earliest opportunity
under comparable transport conditions.  We expect airlines to reimburse
passengers the cost of booking their own replacement flights under comparable
transport conditions if they fail to meet this obligation.

·    Airlines are required to cover the costs of transferring the
passenger to their original airport or another close by destination agreed by
the passenger if that passenger is re-routed via alternative airports.

·    Airlines are required to offer passengers care for denied boarding,
flight cancellation and delays of at least two hours (including hotel
accommodation for overnight delays) or reimburse passengers the costs they
incur making their own care arrangements.

 

For more information contact:

·    Andrew McConnell - Head of Media & External Affairs

o  0333 103 6000

·    Jack Wilson-Mendy - Acting Media Lead

o  0333 103 6000

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