A Saudia Boeing 787-10 was delayed on Thursday in Amsterdam when a collections agency held up flight 216 to Jeddah over unpaid EU261 compensation claims owed to passengers.
Amsterdam Schipol
EUclaim, representing 67 passengers affected by flight delays in 2022, sought total compensation of €50,000, including legal costs, over extended delays. They had won several court rulings, but the airline didn’t pay. That’s the common problem with EU261: it’s clear what is owed to passengers, but collecting can be challenging. Customers often turn their claims over to a collection company and split any funds recovered.
As the flight prepared for departure, EUclaim had bailiffs seize the aircraft’s fuel supplies. Navigation maps were also confiscated. The plane was grounded for approximately 90 minutes, before the airline settled the outstanding debt.
I’ve written about passengers hiring private bailiffs to collect on unpaid flight delay compensation, taking credit cards from airline staff in their offices to avoid seizure and sale of the office furniture.
- Last year, EUclaim similarly intervened by seizing fuel from a Tarom Boeing 737 in Amsterdam.
- Delta Air Lines check-in was even halted at London Heathrow airport as agents threatened to seize their plane over a $3,400 debt to a passenger.
- Bailiffs once showed up at London Luton airport, delaying a Wizz Air flight to collect a refund that was owed to a customer. It caused a flight delay, and then Wizz Air owed EU261 compensation to all of the passengers on board that were delayed!
Former Slovenian Star Alliance member Adria Airways once even cancelled a flight to Vienna because they expected bailiffs to seize their aircraft over an unpaid 250 euro claim. Weird, because everyone on the cancelled flight would have been owed compensation, too.
(HT: Loyalty Lobby)
Yet again, if only we in the US had an EU261 equivalent, so that we got paid whenever airlines significantly delay or cancel flights under their control.
While no one holds the Saudis accountable for the ‘bone saw’ incident or *cough* 9/11 *cough*, at least the EU makes their airline pay up. Nice.
Most people entitled to EC 261/2004 never claim the available compensation for flight delays and cancellations. And the chances they claim compensation seems to drop if they’ve been provided a hotel room and/or food vouchers and re-accommodated in a reasonable way.
I love claiming EC 261/2004 compensation since it really does reduce my travel costs.
Yay, more bad guys punished! If this trend keeps up, in another couple hundred years we may restore American society with some morals and values.
Such petty crap. If you can’t afford to travel and deal with inevitable cost due to delays then stay home. Personally I would never beg for hotel rooms, meals or reimbursement from an airline. So sad and pathetic there are that many poor or cheap people in the world
Yeah, poor people are pathetic. Sheesh, AC. How much is your net worth?
@AC
I’ve got plenty of money, and travel luxuriously, often. Yet, nothing upsets me more than an airline or hotel or major or minor company or individual breaking their word, abusing a contract, or significantly delaying or denying me the products and services I paid for. They mess up; they should pay.
So, you, sir, are a fool, and completely misunderstand the situation. I doubt you travel much at all. Because if you did, your position would change. Fast. But, you already knew that. So, let’s go. I’ll see you, @AndyS, and the others soon again. ‘I didn’t hear no bell!’
If they do this with Ryan Air it would be better.
Back in the 90’s one of our F/A’s was owed back pay for some reason. After months of letters and meetings with supervisors her lawyer father filed lawsuit and had the local sheriff put a chain and lock on the nosegear of a 747…..pay was received in less than an hour.
We need this in the USA.
Last year, I was on a KLM flight from DXB to AMS that was delayed by six hours at departure. Upon takeoff, the estimated arrival time showed a delay of 5.5 hours. However, by some miracle, the airline managed to make up significant time, land on the ideal runway, taxi to an open gate, have the ground crew ready, and an agent standing by to quickly deploy the jet bridge. The total delay from the original schedule ended up being just 3 hours and 57 minutes once the plane door opened.
Clearly, airlines can act swiftly and efficiently when they are financially motivated.