The payout to the group is also an illustration of the tenacity needed to ensure passenger rights, even if it means a five-year legal battle.
EUclaim, a company specialized in air passenger rights, has paid compensation to 782 affected travelers. These passengers included a group of 19 people who, after a five-year legal battle, were finally vindicated by the Spanish court. These passengers experienced problems with their flights in 2018, but the airline refused to compensate them. EUclaim subsequently initiated legal proceedings on their behalf, invoking European Regulation 261/2004, which entitles passengers to compensation in such cases.
legal systems
The case sheds an interesting light on the complexities of navigating different legal systems within the European Union, especially when it comes to air passenger rights. Although European Regulation 261/2004 applies throughout the EU, there may be differences in the interpretation of this regulation by the local legislation of each EU Member State. One of the most important differences is the deadline for claiming compensation. In Belgium, for example, passengers must claim their right to compensation within one year of the flight date, while in Spain this can be done up to five years after the flight.
EUclaim pays out 782 passengers after complex legal battle.
Moreover, the choice of the competent court may influence the outcome of the case. On a single flight, passengers have the choice of several courts: the country of departure, the country of arrival or the country where the airline's headquarters are located. Take, for example, a passenger flying from Düsseldorf to Alicante with Ryanair and experiencing a four-hour delay. This passenger can choose to take the case to court in Germany, Spain, or even Ireland where Ryanair has its headquarters.
EUclaim emphasizes the importance of their expertise in this complex matter. The company has years of experience with legal proceedings in various countries and uses this knowledge to increase the chance of successful compensation for affected passengers, even if this means that the process takes longer. EUclaim strategically chooses the court where they expect to achieve the most success, as in the recent case where the Spanish court ruled in favor of the group of 19 passengers.
