IATA urges fair deal for airlines in ticket refund disputes

Istanbul - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for consumer protection authorities in various countries to address the responsibility shared by all stakeholders when passengers experience disruptions.

"Whenever there is a delay or a cancellation, where specific passenger rights regulations exist, the burden of care and compensation falls on the airline, regardless of which part of the aviation chain is at fault," Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said.

IATA, therefore, urged governments to ensure that responsibility for flight issues is shared more equitably across the air transport system.

“The aim of any passenger rights regulation surely should be to drive better service. So it makes little sense that airlines are singled out to pay compensation for delays and cancellations that have a broad range of root causes, including air traffic control failures, strikes by non-airline workers, and inefficient infrastructure. With more governments introducing or strengthening passenger rights regulations, the situation is no longer sustainable for airlines. And it has little benefit for passengers because it does not encourage all parts of the aviation system to maximize customer service. On top of this, as costs need to be recouped from passengers, they end up funding this system. We urgently need to move to a model of ‘shared accountability’ where all actors in the value chain face the same incentives to drive on-time performance,” said Walsh.

An IATA/Motif survey of 4,700 travelers across 11 markets asked passengers how they were treated in the case of delays and cancellations. The survey found:

• 96% of travelers surveyed reported they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ satisfied with their overall flight experience


• 73% were confident they would be treated fairly in the event of operational disruptions


• 72% said that in general airlines do a good job of handling delays and cancellations


• 91% agreed with the statement ‘All parties involved in the delay or cancellation (airlines, airports, air traffic control) should play a role in helping the affected passengers’