Thursday 12 February 2009 - The Times

Payout victory for stranded air passengers

The Times

Air passengers will be able to claim millions of pounds in compensation for cancelled flights after a secret deal between British Airways and a group of complainants, The Times has learnt.

The settlement, agreed after months of negotiations, could end the frustrations of passengers who are left stranded at airports and unable to claim redress for ruined holidays and aborted business meetings.

Among those who may be able to claim compensation are the thousands of passengers stuck at Heathrow during the fiasco of Terminal 5’s opening days last year.

The breakthrough comes after British Airways paid a group of passengers, including 21 Britons, an average of £388 each for cancelling their flights. The payments are BA’s first to British claimants...